Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India

First record of the mole crab, Emerita emeritus (Linnaeus, 1767), from the Gujarat coast, India

Volume 68 Issue 1

Piyush Vadher, Hitesh Kardani, Imtiyaz Beleem, Rajkumar Dabhi, Ajay Ram, Pinak Bamaniya and Sunil Shekh

doi:10.6024/jmbai.2026.68.1.2640-16

Abstract

Emerita emeritus (Linnaeus, 1767) collected from Navi Bandar in Gujarat represents the first record of this species, genus, and family from the coastal waters of Gujarat. Five males and nine females were found buried in the sandy substrate of the beach. Two species of Emerita within the family of Hippidae have been reported from various coastal regions of India. This report provides a detailed morphological description of E. emeritus, along with notes on its habitat and distribution.

Keywords

Hippidae, mole crab, new record, taxonomy, Gujarat

Date : 26-05-2026