Two species of Eriocheir have been recorded from the Middle East. The Chinese mitten crab, E. sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853, has been reported from the Anzali Marshland, northern Iran and recently, the Hepu mitten crab E. hepuensis Dai, 1991, from Iraqi waters. The present record of E. hepuensis from the Bahmanshir River, Abadan, southern Iran, documents the presence of the species in the Karun River system, confirms the occurrence of the species in the Persian Gulf and establishes a possible range extension in the region.
