| This study aimed to describe the species composition and abundance of the porcellanid crabs inhabiting the consolidated sublittoral off an island on the southeastern coast of Brazil. During a sampling program at Vitória Island (23º44'S, 45º01'W), collections were carried out monthly from February 2004 through January 2006. The crabs were hand-caught by SCUBA divers during the daytime. The greatest carapace width (CW) was measured, and the sex and developmental stage were identified for each crab. The specimens were grouped into five demographic categories: juvenile males, adult males, juvenile females, adult females, and ovigerous females. A total of 275 crabs belonging to three genera and six species were obtained. Petrolisthes amoenus (Guérin-Méneville,... |
