CoastalBangladesh has the most commercially important species of mud crabs Scylla spp., from the family Portunidae (Macintosh et al. 2002). They dig and inhabit burrows in mangrove swamps and shallow, soft-bottom intertidal waterbodies (Quinitioef al. 2008). Mud crabs spend most of their life in estuaries and coastal environments that have mud or detritus, debris of leaves, branches, roots and enough shelter materials or places to hide to avoidmolt. Mud crabs are also known commonly as green crabs or mangrove crabs (Shan and Quddus 1982). Mud crabs are omnivorous or scavengers, feeding on dead animal and plant matter. The 734-km long coastline of Bangladesh, with the world's largest mangrove forest, is a hotspot for diverse aquatic organisms, including mud crabs, providing suitable breeding, feeding and nursery grounds.
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