Potential new record of the coral-dwelling gall crab Kroppcarcinus siderastreicola (Cryptochiridae) from São Tomé and Príncipe

Abstract

Coral-dwelling crabs of the family Cryptochiridae have been recorded across the tropical western Atlantic but are rarely reported from the eastern Atlantic. Here, we document the presence of cryptochirid crabs in the coral Siderastrea radians (Pallas, 1766) from São Tomé and Príncipe, Gulf of Guinea. This coral is likely inhabited by Kroppcarcinus siderastreicola Badaró, Neves, Castro & Johnsson, 2012, the only known gall crab to inhabit this coral host with a recorded distribution from Florida to Brazil. Our new record highlights that this crab potentially has an amphi-Atlantic distribution, similar to its confamilial Troglocarcinus corallicola, and in line with the distribution of its coral host genus.