Occurrence of the feather star associated symbiotic brachyuran crab - Permanotus purpureus (Gordon, 1934) from the Andaman Sea, India

Abstract

The present paper reports the first occurrence of Permanotus purpureus (Gordon, 1934), a crinoid associated symbiotic brachyuran crab from Andaman Sea. In the Indo-Pacific region, this species is very widespread. The Andaman Islands coral reef habitats were the source of five specimens that were procured during the surveys through scuba diving. We have also documented this species is association with three crinoid species as obligate symbionts.