Three new species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820 (Decapoda, Galatheidae) from the Seychelles lslands (Indian Ocean)

Three new species of the genus Munida Leach, 1820 (M. insularis, M. dissita and M. nesiotes) are described and illustrated from specimens collected during the cruise Cepros carried out off Seychelles Islands. M. insularis closely resembles M. eclepsis Macpherson, 1994 from New Caledonia. The new species is characterized by the presence of five spines on the lateral margins of the carapace behind cervical groove, the second abdominal segment armed with spines along the anterior ridge, the distolateral spine of the basai antennular segment longer than the distomesial and the dactylus of the walking legs short, with movable spinules along the entire ventral border. M. dissita is closely related to M. remota Baba, 1989, from Madagascar, M. rubiesi Macpherson, 1991, from the Gulf of Aden and M. africana Doflein & Balss, 1913, from Somalia. M. dissita has five spines on the lateral margins of the carapace behind cervical groove, the second abdominal segment armed with spines along the anterior ridge, the distolateral spine of the basal antennular segment longer than the distomesial and the dactylus of the walking legs long and slender, with movable spinules along the proximal ventral border. M. nesiotes is close to M. erato Macpherson, 1994, from New Caledonia and Chesterfield Islands and belongs to the group of species having four spines on the lateral margins of the carapace behind cervical groove.