Record of a Xanthid Crab Euxanthus exsculptus (Herbst, 1790) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Xanthidae) Recovered from the Gut of Humpback Red Snapper, Lutjanus gibbus from the Southwest Coast of India

This study reports the occurrence of xanthid crabs obtained from the gut of a commercially important species, humpback red snapper, Lutjanus gibbus sampled from coastal waters off Cochin, India. The recovered xanthid crabs were identified up to species level using standard literature and found out to be male specimens of Euxanthus exsculptus (Herbst 1790). The crabs had smooth and swollen bumps on the wide sub-hexagonal carapace, 12.90 mm length and in 19.02 mm width. This is the first report of the occurrence of E. exsculptus from the gut of Lutjanus gibbus caught off Kochi coast, India. Details of the diagnostic characteristics of this crab species are presented in this paper.