Crustacea Decapoda of Glorieuses Islands, with notes on the distribution of the coconut crab (Birgus latro) in the western Indian Ocean

Abstract

An inventory has been made of the decapod fauna of the Glorieuses Islands, western Indian Ocean (WIO), following the BIORECIE 2 Expedition to the Islands, 5–17 December 2012. Field data are complemented by a review of taxonomic studies for these islands. Overall 157 species are now reported from the Glorieuses Islands, including 61 new records. The presence of the coconut crab, Birgus latro , is confirmed from these islands, for the first time since 1884, and the WIO distribution of this endangered species is updated, based on observations made in the region since 2006.