Arthropoda: Crustacea: Malacostraca:Decapoda: Brachyura (Marine Crabs)

Introduction: Brachyura is an infra order of the order Decapoda, an economically important and highly diverse order of the subphylum Crustacea.It comprises the true crabs, which inhabits various ecosystems like marine, freshwater, brackishwater, mangrove and even terrestrial environment.Due to their diverse habitat preferences, ornamental look, active behaviors, economic importance, yummy taste etc., they attract even common man towards them.It is the more commonly available and extensively studied crustacean group.The inventory of Indian Brachyuran crabs were initiated by Linnaeus (1758) through the crabs collected by the trade ships, it was followed by many renowned workers like Fabricius (1775, 1787, 1793), Herbst (1782-1804), H. Milne Edwards ( 1853) and Henderson (1893).Various expeditions undertaken by the Royal Indian Marine survey ship Investigator in the years 1891 to 1905, primarily in the Bay of Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Lakshadweep Islands and west coast of India and the c o n t r i b u t i o n s m a d e b y t h e r e p u t e d carcinologists like Alcock (1893, 1894, 1899a, c), Alcock and Anderson (1894a, b, 1899), Wood-Mason (1874, 1891, 1892), and Wood-Mason and Alcock (1891a-h) have resulted in the discovery of many new crab species.Apart from these major contributions several other researchers have enriched the knowledge of marine crabs through their significant ARTHROPODA