Abstract:
To-date about 600 species of malacostracans are found to occur in area under investigation, they are referable to 415 genera and 115 families.
While preparing the field guide literature was searched for species occurring in the region under investigation, a check-list was a natural outcome.
Key to the major taxa of the class Malacostraca is added for beginner. The key leading to species is for the use of specialists. A dendrogram is prepared showing evolutionary trend in Malacostraca. So far the reports run over 650 pages including more than 1000 illustrations.
Since it is not possible to submit the entire work and there are some lacunae for which further work is required. The present report is thus based on the identification keys to the following orders:
Stomatopoda
Decapoda
Mysidacea
Cumacea
In the previous reports key to the orders of malacostraca and key to the northern Arabian Sea euphausids was included (pages 32-53).
The keys are updated by incorporating recent changes in the nomenclature, for which various experts in the field were approached and are duly acknowledged. Most of the outline drawings are original and characters used in the keys are illustrated to make the keys accessible to the researchers entering in field. Where specimens are not available illustrations of other authors are used with due permission of the author(s) and mentioned in the legends.
