First record of Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae) from the Algerian coast, western Mediterranean Sea

The tufted ghost crab, Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758), is the only Ocypodidae species present in the Mediterranean Sea and is widely distributed in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Basin. In recent decades, this species has extended its Mediterranean distribution area by colonizing Sicilian, Maltese, Libya and Tunisian coastlines in the central Mediterranean. The present study reports the first record of the species for the Algerian coast in the western Mediterranean.