Belg. J. Zool. - Volume 129 (1999) - issue 2 - pages 363-389 - Brussels 1999 Received: 9 October 1998 CHECKLIST OF ANOMURAN CRABS (CRUSTACEA: DECAPODA) FROM THE EASTERN TROPICAL PACIFIC MICHEL E. HENDRICKX(') AND ALAN W. HARVEY ( 2 )* (') Laboratorio de Invertebrados Bentonicos, Institute de Ciencias del Mar y Limnologia, Estacion Mazatlan, UNAM. P.O. Box 811 - Mazatlan - 82000, Sinaloa - Mexico. ( 2 ) Department of Invertebrates, American Museum of Natural History. Central Park West at 79th Street. New York, NY 10024. USA. e-mail: michel@mar.icmyl.unam.mx Abstract. Literature dealing with anomuran crabs from the east Pacific is reviewed. Marine and brackish water species reported at least once in the Eastern Tropical Pacific zoogeographic subregion, which extends from Magdalena Bay, on the west coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, to Paita, in northern Peru, are listed, and their distribution range along the Pacific coast of America are provided. Unpublished records, based on material kept in the collections of the authors, were also considered to determine or confirm the presence of species, or to modify previously published distribution ranges within the study area. A total of 207 species, belonging to 56 genera, are included in the check- list, the first ever made available for the entire tropical zoogeographic subregion of the west coast of America. A list of names of species and subspecies currently recognized as invalid for the area is also included. Key words: Anomura, Eastern Tropical Pacific, Checklist. INTRODUCTION Reliable regional checklists of marine species have multiple uses. In addition to pro- viding comparative data for biodiversity studies, they serve as an important tool in recog- nizing and delimiting areas in need of protection, inferring the potential impact of anthropogenic activity, assessing the complexity of biological communities, and estima- ting the availability of living resources. Checklists for zoogeographic regions or provinces also facilitate biodiversity studies in specific habitats, which serve as points of departure for (among others) studying the structure of food chains, the relative abundance of species, and the size-related distribution and abundance of species or individuals within species (MAY, 1992). It is now recognized that comprehensive surveys and inventories help rein- * Current address: Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University. Statesboro, GA 30460, USA.