Calappa guerini Brito-Capello, 1871

Kumar, Biju A., Kumar, M. Sushil & Galil, Bella S., 2013, Calappid and leucosiid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) from Kerala, India, with the description of a new species of Mursia Desmarest, 1823, from the Arabian Sea and redescription of M. bicristimana Alcock & Anderson, 1894, Zootaxa 3746 (4), pp. 529-551 : 534

Calappa guerini Brito-Capello, 1871

Calappa guerini Brito-Capello, 1871: 128 –134, pl. 2 fig. 20.—Lai et al. 2006: 196, figs 1b, 3b. Cancer lophos —Herbst, 1782: 201, pl. 13, fig. 77.

Calappa lophos —Alcock & Anderson 1894b: 203.—Alcock 1896: 144.—Laurie 1906: 353.—Chophra 1933: 28.—Pillai 1951: 8.—Chhapgar 1957: 404, fig. h.—Aravindakshan & Sundaram 1983: 169.—Tirmizi & Kazmi 1988: 54, fig. 16 a– g.—Jayabaskaran et al. 2000: 6.—Kumar et al. 2007: 285.

Kerala material examined. Neendakara, 08˚56'N 76˚32'E, 12 Jan. 2013, 1 ♀ pre-adult (CW 27.8 mm) (DABFUK).

Additional material examined. India. Madras, 2 ♂ (CW 78.3 mm, smaller spec. slightly broken, 31.3 mm), coll. J.R. Henderson (NHM 1892.7.15.334-6), det. J.C.Y. Lai 2005 as C. guerini . Pakistan. Maura, Karachi, 1 ♂ (CW 61.2 mm), coll. F.W Townsend, det. B.S. Galil as C. lophos , det. J.C.Y. Lai as C. guerini (NHM 1903.7.29.4).

Colour. In the freshly collected young specimen (DABFUK) the dorsal surface of the carapace is pinkish, densely stippled anteriorly with maroon dots, some coalescing into squiggles; two pairs of prominent ocelli laterally; transverse maroon stripes between the posterolateral teeth; posterior carapace teeth pale yellow. The external surface of the cheliped bears reddish spots.

Distribution. Originally described from Yanam, Andhra Pradesh, India (Lai et al. 2006), it has been recorded (as C. lophos ) from Chahbar (Iranian coast of the Gulf of Oman), Pakistan, and several locations along the Indian coast of the Bay of Bengal (Lai et al. 2006) and Mumbai, Maharashtra (Aravindakshan & Sundaram 1983). New record for Kerala.