Liomera rugata (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) (Decapoda: Xanthidae) from the Makran Coast: a new contribution to the decapod fauna of Pakistan

Abstract

The present study documents the first confirmed record of the xanthid crab Liomera rugata (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Xanthidae) from the rocky intertidal shores of Sistag, Jiwani, along the Makran coast. Identification was established based on key diagnostic morphological characters, including a rugose, granulate carapace with distinct lobation, granulate chelipeds, and a first gonopod bearing an apically truncated tip. The examined specimens exhibit close concordance with previous descriptions from the Indo-West Pacific, thereby corroborating their taxonomic placement. This new regional record extends the known geographic range of L. rugata into the northern Arabian Sea, bridging a biogeographic gap between earlier reports from the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean. The finding highlights the Makran coast as a biogeographically significant yet insufficiently studied region for brachyuran diversity.