Identification and Effect of Monsoon on Family Ocypodidae in the Intertidal zone in Gulf of Oman, Hormozgan Province

This study was carried out in three inter tidal zones in the Iranian coast of Gulf of Oman, in 2010 to identify the species belonging to Family Ocypodidae and to investigate effect of monsoon on ecology of crabs. Two species of genus Uca (U. sindensis and U. iranica) from Jask and Khour-Khalasi study area and one species of genus Ocypode (O. rotundata) from Vanak beach were identified. The results were used to verify previous reports on species identification. Monsoon was found to affect distribution and frequency of these crabs. The maximum and minimum relative density were observed in pre-monsoon (May, 9.33 individual/m2) and monsoon (September, 6.38 individual/m2), respectively. Dense distribution of Uca was found in the muddy beaches of Khour-Khalasi and the genus Ocipode in the sandy beaches of Vanak area.