The Brachyura collected on the continental shelf of Northern and Northeastern Brazil understood between the latitudes 4º27'N and 3º43'S and the longitudes of 50º00'W-38º00'W, were represented by 133 species, 79 genera and 15 families. The studied material, belongs to the carcinological collection of the Department of Oceanography of University Federal of Pernambuco. The informations obtained in relation to the areas in which these species are found, were gathered from the carcinological files cited above and bibliographic rcferences published until 1991. The majority of the species (125) was found exclusively in the western Atlantic, except three Anfi-Atlantics, two Anfi-Americans, two Circuntropicals and one Indo-Pacific. With regards to the latitude, 11 species were gathered with southern limits in the studies area, 17 species with northern limits in the studied area, six species restricted to the studied area and 99 with northern and southern limits out of the studied area.
Crustacea; Decapoda; Brachyura; North-northeastern Brazil