Abstract
Frog crabs (Family Raninidae) are cryptic, burying marine brachyuran crabs adapted for inhabiting soft and sandy bottoms across a wide bathymetric range of tropical to low-latitude temperate regions. The present account encompasses re-description ofLysirude channerifrom a depth range of 614–655 m in Bay of Bengal, India. Morphological examination of 76 specimens agreed with earlier type descriptions in having two antero-lateral spines, but this contradicts with the specimens from the South China Sea and off the Philippines. In addition, some specimens from the present study revealed the presence of two carpal spines instead of one described before. However, the genetic congruency of the collected specimens were inferred by developing molecular marker viz. mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene sequences, representing the first molecular data forLysirude channeri. Phylogram and genetic distance data (up to 0.60%) justified the genetic congruency ofLysirude channerias well as the interspecific divergence (up to 15.2%) betweenLysirude channeriandLyreidus brevifrons. Hence, the present study provides complete morphological and molecular data for re-describing the frog crabLysirude channeriand also delineates its speciation from other related brachyuran crabs.
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