TAXONOMY AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF CIROLANIDAE (CRUSTACEA, ISOPODA) OF PAKISTAN COAST (NORTHERN ARABIAN SEA)

Abstract

Twenty species of pertaining to the family Cirolanidae Dana, 1852 have been found inhabitating intertidal waters of Pakistan. The twenty first species Natatolana albicaudata( Stebbing,1990) was obtained form the gut content of a fish Plectorhynchus sp. Collected from the fish Harbour, Karachi. These species are included in six genera; Anopsilana Paulian & Debotteville,1956(4species), Atarbolana Bruce & Javed,1987(6 species), Cirolana Leach,1818(8 species), Excirolana Richardson,1912 (1 species), Natatolana Bruce, 1981(1species) and Neocirolana Hale, 1925(1 species). Out of twenty one species, thirteen are new while three genera Anopsilana, Excirolana and Natatolana and two species Excirolan orientalis (Dana, 1953). Natatolana albicaudata (Stebbing,1990) are recorded for the first time from Pakistan waters Earlier, Bruce & Javed (1987), Javed & Yasmeen(1989,1990,1995) reported only three Cirolanid genera and five species form the coast of Pakistan.