Marine Crab Diversity
Major
projects | Further readings
The marine crab research is picking
up momentum.
|
Favus granulatus, a rare leucosiid crab known
only from Singapore thus far. |
The
fauna for the Indo-West Pacific is very high and perhaps
up to 1000 species may occur in Southeast and East
Asia. Even in Singapore, some 400 species are known.
|
Many species are of substantial economic
significance in fisheries, medicine and ecology. There
is a need to identify potential food crabs, bio-indicators
and endangered species.
 
The blue land crab (left), Cardisoma hirtipes,
a common and edible (right, after
being cooked) species on Palau.
Many crab species are habitat specific
and thus excellent bio-indicators of habitat health
and environmental degradation especially coral reefs
and mangroves. There is also a urgent need to establish
a working list of marine crabs from Southeast Asia
by determining the current synonymy of each species,
to confirm the identities of each species and evaluate
the taxonomy of dubious and poorly known species through
modern taxonomic approaches etc.
 
Two colour morphs of the poisonous crab Lophozozymus
pictor (Xanthidae).
Good and concise illustrated guides
on crab fauna are absolutely necessary for conservation
and management of marine protected areas. Within the
region, some funding has been received for studies
of the marine crab fauna of Southeast Asia, and two
graduate students have started work on selected groups.
Two groups focused on are the Varuninae (Grapsidae)
and Parthenopidae.
Work is ongoing currently as well
to increase the marine crab collections in the museum,
especially for groups not yet represented.
|
 |
Through very active collaborations
with the many crab taxonomists in Taiwan, much has
been done to sort out the fauna from the island as
well. At the moment a major project, sponsored by
the Taiwan Museum, (Left: Green Mitten
Crab, Eriocheir formosa)
|
|
is the completion of a working list
of crabs of Taiwan, as well as the publication of
the crab catalogue in the collection.
|
|
 |
Recently, work has also started on
the deep water crab fauna of Palau, including obtaining
more specimens of the recently described Chaceon
micronesicus(left) (by
Peter Ng and Ray Manning).
|
Below are photos of some crabs common to this region:
|
|
The mangrove sesarmine, Episesarma (Grapsidae),
is very common in regional mangroves.
|
The crinoid crab, Harrovia albolineata (Eumedonidae),
is a common commensal
of featherstars. |
|
The common buckler crab, Cryptopodia fornicata
(Parthenopidae), of Southeast Asia.
|
The horned caltrop crab, Pseudolambrus bicornis
(Parthenopidae), from Singapore. |
|
The heaviest and one of the largest crabs in the world,
Pseudocarcinus gigas, from Australia, carried
by the lab's smallest student.
|
Palau deep water fishing boat.
|
Major projects:
Further readings:
|
| Top
|
|
|
Copyright ©
1998 Department of Biological Sciences.
All rights reserved.
No part of this page is to be reproduced in any form
without prior written permission from the Webmaster.
|
