Journal of Aquaculture Research & Development

A new record of Squat lobster Munida curvipes Benedict, 1902 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Galatheidae), Off Thoothukudi coast of Gulf of Mannar, India (08º 35’ 22.5” N lat. 78º 27’ 40.9” E long and 08º 31’ 91.2”

International Conference on Aquaculture & Fisheries

July 20-22, 2015 Brisbane, Australia

Vaitheeswaran Thiruvengadam

ScientificTracks Abstracts-Workshop: J Aquac Res Development

Abstract:

The squat lobster, Munida curvipes Benedict, 1902 was recorded for the first time from the Indian main land coast, while investigating the biodiversity of the squat lobster of Gulf of Mannar during December, 2013. One specimen of the said species was collected as an incidental by-catch in the deep sea trawl fisheries off Thoothukudi coast of the Gulf of Mannar, between 08� 35? 22.5? N lat. 78� 27? 40.9? E long and 08� 31? 91.2? N lat. 78� 25? 32.7?E long at a depth of 305-310 m, Vaitheeswaran and Venkataramani (2012) and Vaitheeswaran (2014). The present records show its extended distribution from Gulf of Mannar to the East of Andamans and further to South Pacific Ocean, Chile. The total number of squat lobsters from India has now risen to 52. These results point up the high diversity of this genus in the region and the importance of several characters in species identification (e.g., size and number of lateral spines on the carapace, ornamentation of the thoracic sternites, and size of antennular and antennal spines, colour pattern).

Biography :

Vaitheeswaran Thiruvengadam has been working as an Assistant General Manager R & D and Quality Control of technical operations of Marine Pharma. He holds over 22 years of fisheries resource management and taxonomy, and he has received (PhD) Endeavour International Postgraduate Research Scholarship Award (AUS $ 73,200), University of Tasmania, Australia. He has published 55 publications; (National and International) 13 books, 198 extension articles, 42 new finfish and shellfish, 5 T.V talks and 2 erected new species reported Indian, Indo-Pacific, Western Indian Waters and Indian Ocean.