First Record of Cannibalism in the Warty Crab Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775) from Southern Lebanon

Cannibalism is a widespread but often underreported behaviour among brachyuran crabs and can play an important role in population dynamics and trophic interactions. The warty crab Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775) is a common rocky-shore species in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean, known for its aggressive and opportunistic feeding behaviour. Despite its wide range and ecological relevance, cannibalism has not yet been documented for the species. Here, we report the first confirmed observation of cannibalism in E. verrucosa from the Eastern Mediterranean. The observation was made in 2014 at Hima Al Mansouri beach, southern Lebanon, on shallow rocks near the shore, where a larger individual was documented preying upon a smaller conspecific. The event was recorded through direct observation and photographic documentation, and species identification was based on appearance and morphological characteristics. This finding contributes new information to the behavioural ecology and dietary spectrum of E. verrucosa and highlights the importance of additional underwater surveys along Lebanese shores.