Decapoda - Brachyura - Xanthidae - Leptodius

Leptodius exaratus (H. Milne Edwards, 1834)



World Distribution
Lee et al. (2013: 192, The Raffles Bulletin) - Leptodius exaratus s. str. is found in the Western Indian Ocean, ranging from the eastern and southern coasts of Africa, including Madagascar, to the western coast of India; and also in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Includes South Africa, Somalia, Madagascar, Comoros (Mayotte), Seychelles, Mauritius, Juan de Nova.

Environnement : Marine - Substrat/Association : Associated with corals (facultative)

Vertical range : Intertidal - Min-Max observed: 0-6 m

Mayotte data
Leptodius exaratus (H. Milne Edwards, 1834)
Material examined — Mayotte KUW 2009, st. 2, 1 M 10.2 x 14 mm (first id. as L. sanguineus), 3 MM 8.2 x 11.7 to 10.2 x 14.0 mm, 1 F 8.1 x 11.7 mm, det. J. Poupin, July 2011, MNHN-IU-2009-2615 (with doubt); st. 6, Déversoir Badamiers, Petite Terre, intertidal, 1 M 8.5 x 12.2 mm, 1 F 8.5 x 12.5 mm, 3 juv. (det. with doubt), MNHN-IU-2009-2616, det. September 2011; st. 10, islet east Quatres Frères (Vatou), intertidal, 1 M 7.3 x 10.4 mm, MNHN-IU-2009-2618, det. September 2011 (male pleopod checked); st. 29, Mboianatsa beach, Ngouja hotel, intertidal at low tide, 14 spp., det. July 2011 (male pleopod checked), MNHN-IU-2009-2617.
Other records — Xantho (Leptodius) exaratus - Guinot, 1958a: 92, Mayotte, 1 M 19 x 13 mm, 1 F 9 x 6.4 mm, MNHN. - Guinot, 1967: 265, list with Mayotte. - Coll. Anker & Michonneau, 2008, Mayotte, st. MAY08-St7, N'Gouja, reef, UF 13632. - Poupin, 2016: Expedition Juan de Nova December 2013, intertidal, 1 juv. st. 5 ; 1 F 7.8 x 11.7 mm, st. 20. (MNHN).
Remarks — According to Serène (1984: 184) this is "l'espèce de Xanthidae le plus commun de la zone intertidale de la région indo-pacifique tropicale. Sans grande difficulté, on peut en récolter des centaines d'exemplaires … elle présente de nombreuses variations". Several of the lots listed herein were first identified to Leptodius sanguineus, corrected into L. exaratus after careful examination. The distinction between these two similar species is made by using Serène (1984) key: a) anterolateral margin of carapace with 4 teeth (L. exaratus) or 5 teeth, the fifth being sometimes indistinct (L. sanguineus); b) male pleopod with 5-6 curved subdistal spines (absent in L. sanguineus). Figures of male pleopods for these two species are available in Serène (1984: 180, fig. 106-108).
Geographic and depth ranges — WIO, Red Sea, South Africa to western coast of Indian; intertidal, shallow subtidal. In several contributions (e.g. Serène, 1984; Sakai, 2009; Castro, 2011) this species has a wide distribution in the IWP, including Australia, Japan, Hawaii. Lee et al. (2013: 192), however, consider that L. exaratus s.s. is found only in WIO, its eastern limit being western India.

Réunion data
Leptodius exaratus - Réunion, photo in situ P. Bourjon, May 2015, det. from photo J. Poupin. - Bourjon et al., 2018 (Cah. Biol. Mar.): 454, tab. 1, Réunion.

References : PDF list, 214 pp (1.4 Mo)

This species in Worms Database