BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2011, Vol. 37, No. 6, pp. 483-485

Symbiotic crab Sestrostoma balssi (Shen, 1932) (Varunidae: Gaeticinae) from Vostok Bay, Sea of Japan: a new species for the fauna of Russia

© 2011 I. N. Marin¹, O. M. Korn,², E. S. Kornienko²

¹A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 117071;
²A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok 690059

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A symbiotic crab Sestrostoma balssi (Shen, 1932) (Varunidae: Gaeticinae) living in burrows of large ghost shrimps Upogebia major (De Haan, 1841) and U. issaeffi (Balss, 1913) (Upogebiidae) was found in Vostok Bay (Peter the Great Bay, Sea of Japan) for the first time. The occurrence of mature and juvenile specimens indicates the existence of a stable population of this species in the investigated region. This finding substantially extends the distribution area of S. balssi in the Sea of Japan.

Key words: Decapoda, Brachyura, Varunidae, Sestrostoma, Sea of Japan, Vostok Bay, Upogebia.