Different types of Indian crabs
Crabs are one the most underrated natural world wonders. They are absolutely essential to the working of our aquatic ecosystems but rarely find a place in protection or conservation. As aquatic ecosystems are under threat world over , they are facing hard times. Unlike the frogs that have some mention in environmental destruction , crabs are hardly mentioned anywhere.
In this post we are going to start updating the different crabs that we see around us and in the places we travel. Proper identification tools are hard to find for crabs , so we will restrict ourselves to the genus and families in some of the cases. As we travel more, we intend to post all the crabs we encounter in this post. As usual , our motto is to present the diversity around us and not to be very scientific about it.
Having said that a little trivia.
Fun fact about crabs :
A hermit crab is not a true crab. True crabs are defined by hard exoskeleton which the hermit crabs lack. Hermit crabs depend on other dead sea creatures like molluscs for their shell.As per taxonomy they belong to Infraorder Anomura While true crabs belong to Infraorder Brachyura.
Any way since you have landed here looking for crabs in general we have posted hermit crabs as well.
Even if you are not a crab lover you will still feel a sense of amazement about the diversity of crabs found in India.
Gallery of Crabs found in India:
Rose Fiddler Crab Tubuca rosea
Bengal Fiddler Crab Austruca bengali
Common Hairy Crab Pilumnus vespertilio
Red-eyed reef crab Eriphia ferox
Horn-eyed Ghost Crab Ocypode ceratophthalma
Motley Fiddler Crab Austruca variegata
Mottled Lightfoot Crab Grapsus albolineatus
Neptune crab Portunus segnis
Red Ghost Crab Ocypode macrocera
Ring-legged Fiddler Crab Austruca annulipes
Sand White Ghost Crab Ocypode Quadrata
Sesarmid Marsh Crabs Genus Neosarmatium
Tree climbing crab Episesarma sp.
Yellow Horn-eyed Ghost Crab Ocypode brevicornis
Southeast Asian Freshwater Crabs Family Gecarcinucidae
Sesarmid Marsh Crabs Family Sesarmidae
Orange Mud Crab Scylla olivacea
Heterotrematan Crabs Zoosubsection Heterotremata
Genus Cardisoma
Crenate Swimming Crab Thranita crenata
Sponge Crabs Family Dromiidae
Common Box Crab Calappa lophos
Dardanus hessii Left-handed Hermit Crabs Family Diogenidae
Genus Metasesarma A member of Sesarmid Marsh Crabs Family Sesarmidae
Viola-Land-Hermit-Crab Coenobita violascens
Mud Crab Scylla serrata