This study highlights the seasonal variation of sandy shore crustaceans of Mirya bay of Ratnagiri, Maharashtra from April 2011 to March 2012. All samples were collected during the lowest low tide of each month, when maximum intertidal exposure prevailed. A total of seven macro-faunal species of crustaceans such as Ocypode cordimanus Ocypode ceratophthalmus, Ashtoret lunaris, Philyra corallicola, Diogenes miles, Emerita holthuisi and Gastrosaccus sp. were recorded. A total density of crustaceans during pre-monsoon (24.31 no m-2), monsoon (29.90 no m-2) and post-monsoon (58.47 no m-2) was recorded of which, Ocypode species were abundant throughout the year. The ghost crab, O. ceratophthalmus was abundant during April to December, while O. cordimanus was not recorded consistently during the study period as it dwells in the burrows amongst the Ipomea shrubs well above the high tide mark in the semiterestrial zone). The left-handed hermit crab D. miles was found near to low tide water mark during all the months except May and June. The moon crab, A. lunaris was observed only during the post-monsoon season (November - December) while the mole crab, E. holthuisi was abundantly found during the late monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Monthly in-situ parameters such as atmospheric temperature (23.4 to 30.6ºC), interstitial water temperature (22 to 30.5ºC), sediment temperature (22.3 to 32.2ºC), dissolved oxygen of interstitial water (3 to 9.3 mgL-1), interstitial water pH (6.5 to 9.5), sediment pH (5.6 and 8.4) and interstitial water salinity (19.83 to 34.77%) were recorded.

Sandy shore, Crustaceans, Interstitial, Transect, Quadrate