Description of a new species of Parasesarma (Crustacea; Decapoda; Brachyura; Sesarmidae) from the Persian Gulf, based on morphological and genetic characteristics

The genera Parasesarma and Perisesarma are common inhabitants of mangroves and estuaries of the Indo-West Pacific. These, overall similar, genera of sesarmid crabs can be told apart by the presence or absence of an anterolateral tooth, but recent and ongoing studies show that they are not reciprocally monophyletic. In recent years, detailed morphological studies have revealed a surprising number of undescribed new species within these genera. In the present paper, we describe a new species of the genus Parasesarma from the relatively poorly studied Persian Gulf. So far, these specimens had been referred to as Parasesarma plicatum (Latreille, 1803), but morphological and genetic characteristics clearly allow separation of the two species. Consequently, the species from the Persian Gulf is here described as new and morphological and mitochondrial genetic characters are provided that allow recognition of the species. (C) 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.