On the Brachyuran Crabs of Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Goa

Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary (15°30'N and 73°50'E) is located at the western tip of Chorao Island along the Mandovi River near Panaji in North Goa district of Goa State. It is a protected patch of estuarine mangrove habitat established as Red Shank Sanctuary and the smallest sanctuary of Goa notified in 1988 with an area of just 1.78 sq km. It is an important mangrove habitat harbouring both estuarine and mangrove crabs. Four field surveys were conducted in this area in connection with plankton and benthos fauna of the state. In the present report only brachyuran crabs recorded from this sanctuai-y areas are communicated. It includes 9 species of crabs belonging to 4 families under 8 genera, viz., Scylla serrata (Forskal) (Family : Portunidae); Eurycarcinus orientalis A. M. Edwards (Family ; Pilumnidae); Gnipsus albolineatiis Lamarck, Varuna littercita (FabriciusJ, Chironiantes bidens (de Haan), Pamsesanna plicatinn (Latreille), Episesanna taeniolata (White) (Family : Grapsidae); Uca lactea (de Haan) and Uca dussumieri (H. M. Edwards) (Family : Ocypodidae). Mounds seems like those made by Cardisonia carnifex (Herbst) (Family : Gecarcinidae) (Das and Dev Roy, 1989; Dev Roy and Das, 2000) were observed at the landward fringe of mangrove thicket but specimens of this species could not be collected/observed.