Molecular identification of 'Gum Gum': a food mole crab Hippa adactyla from Papua New Guinea

A specimen of Hippa adactyla Fabricius, 1787, was collected from Blanche Bay, Papua New Guinea. Nuclear 18S and mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences were examined for interspecies and intraspecies comparisons. The result suggests some genetic similarity and diversification of this species distributed widely in the Indo-Pacific. We also report a local culture of eating the animal under the name 'Gum Gum'. This is a pioneering report on the genetic perspective and fishing of a mole crab in southwest Pacific.