Phalangipus somnathensis sp. nov. (Decapoda, Brachyura, Epialtidae) a new species of spider crab from India, Arabian Sea, with a key to the species of Phalangipus Latreille, 1828

Abstract A new species of spider crab is described based on a single specimen collected from the Veraval fishing harbour, Gujarat, north-west coast of India, Arabian Sea. Globally nine species of spider crabs were reported of which four, Phalangipus filiformis , P. hystrix , P. indicus and P. longipes were documented from Indian waters. The new species, P. somnathensis sp. nov. differs from most species of the genus, based on the presence of blunt spines over the lateral & dorsal margin of the carapace, by the intestinal region being produced into a sharp spine, and by possessing a unique shape of male pleopod, i.e., branched into two lobes distally. The newly discovered species is compared with its congeners.