West African Brachyuran Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda)

The West African marine brachyuran crab fauna, comprising 218 named species in 120 genera and 26 familes, is surveyed. Sixteen new genera and 24 new species are recognized. Synonymies are updated for the tropical species, and all 300 + Eastern Atlantic species are listed. Original references and synonymies are provided for all 146 Eastern Atlantic genera. Synonymies have been compiled for all 36 currently recognized families of marine crabs. Twenty-nine families are represented in the Eastern Atlantic fauna. One family, Hexapodidae Miers, 1886, and one subfamily, Camptandriinae Stimpson, 1858 (Ocypodidae) are revised at the generic level. The genera Liocarcinus Stimpson, 1871 (Portunidae), Machaerus Leach, 1818 (Goneplacidae), and Lambdophallus Alcock, 1900, Paeduma Rathbun, 1897, Parahexapus Balss, 1922, Pseudohexapus Monod, 1956, and Thaumastoplax Miers, 1881 (all Hexapodidae), are defined and recognized. It is suggested that the family Geryonidae Colosi, 1923, shows closest affinities with the family Portunidae Rafinesque, 1815.