International Journal of Aquaculture, 2017, Vol.7, No.19, 122-125
122
Research Report
Open Access
First Finding of Matutid Crabs:
Matuta planipes
Fabricius, 1798 (Crustacea:
Decapoda) from Iraqi Coast and Garmat Ali River, Basrah area, Iraq
Khaled Kh. Al-Khafaji
1
, Falah M. Mutlak
2
, Ali Taha Yaseen
2
, Amal S. Al-Sharaa
1
1 Marine Biology Department, Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
2 Marine Vertebrates Department, Marine Science Centre, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
Corresponding author Email:
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2017, Vol. 7, No.19 doi:
Received: 09 Oct., 2017
Accepted: 09 Nov., 2017
Published: 17 Nov., 2017
Copyright © 2017
Al-Khafaji et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Al-Khafaji K.K., Mutlak F.M., Yaseen A.T., and Al-Sharaa A.S., 2017, First finding of Matutid crabs:
Matuta planipes
Fabricius, 1798 (Crustacea: Decapoda)
from Iraqi Coast and Garmat Ali River, Basrah area, Iraq, International Journal of Aquaculture, 7(19): 122-125 (doi:
Abstract
The first finding of matutid crab:
Matuta planipes
Fabricius, 1798 from subtidal zone of Iraqi coast, south Al-Fao city,
NW-Arabian Gulf, Basrah, Iraq. Specimens was caught by trawl and hand net, during period from Jan. 16
th
, 2017 to May 28
th
, 2017,
six females and three males, from Iraqi coast, south Al-Fao city in addition, two males and three females were collected from Garmat
Ali River. The present study reports the presence specimens of this species from subtidal zone of Iraqi coast and Garmat Ali River.
Keywords
First finding;
Matuta planipes
; Decapoda; Al-Fao city
1 Background
The crabs are considered as ecologically and biologically important in marine ecosystem and play an important
role in coastal biodiversity. It is not evenly distributed; quite it varies greatly across the world and within regions.
There are a lot of improvements that can be brought about in the biodiversity science.
Crabs of the families Calappidae and Matutidae known as box and moon crabs respectively are one of the most
fascinating crabs in the tropical and subtropical seas of the world ocean (Galil and Clark, 1994; Bellwood, 1996).
The family Matutidae are distinguished by their ambulatory dactyli being distinctly paddle-like, both chelae being
subequal in size and neither with special cutting teeth, and the carapace having distinct median lateral spines of
varying lengths but with the posteorlateral part never expanded (Ng, 1998).
Matuta planipes
is common inhabitant of the surf zone of tropical sandy shores and have a widespread
distribution which extends from the Red Sea to South Africa, Asia, and Australia (Guinot, 1966; Vannini, 1976;
Galil and Clark, 1994).
The aim of the present study is first record of specimens of the species
Matuta planipes
Fabricius 1798 from the
Iraqi coast and Gharmmat Ali River.
2 Materials and Methods
The specimens of
Matuta planipes
(Fabricius, 1798) were collected from subtidal habitats near the Iraqi coast
south Al-Fao city and from Garmat Ali river, Basrah, Iraq (Figure 1) by trawl and hand net. Has six adult females
and three males from Iraqi coast south Al-Fao city in addition, two females and three males from Garmat Ali
River, during period from Jan. 16
th
, 2017 to May 28
th
, 2017. Some physico-chemical parameters recorded from
the study area in January 2016 are: water temperature, 11.5°C; pH, 7.83; salinity, 39.4 psu; dissolved oxygen, 8.26
mg/L. The specimens were preserved in 96% alcohol and shipped to the laboratory of Marine biology, Marine
science Center, University of Basrah. The specimen was identified and described up to species level by using the
identification keys of (Tirmizi and Kazmi, 1986; Galil and Clark, 1994). The specimens were deposited in the
Marine Science Centre (MBD-MSC) (collection number: 50).
