| Summary: | A documented checklist of the crustacea Decapoda and Stomatopoda is proposed for Easter Island and surrounding areas. The study area is situated between longitudes 80°-110° W and latitudes 15°-30° S. It includes Easter Island, the islet of Sala y Gómez and the submarine seamounts of Sala y Gómez and Nazca. The historical overview of Crustacea collections shows that this area has been predominantly explored by US, Chilean and Russian expeditions. The total number of taxa is 188, out of which 165 are determined to species level. These include 96 shrimps, 59 crabs, 23 anomuran crabs, seven lobsters, and three mantis shrimps. Most of the species are Indo-West Pacific (39.4%) while only some of them are linked with the eastern Pacific (8.5%). Overall the rate of endernism is 20.6%, but two different areas are distinguished: Easter Island (depth range 0-40 m) with a rate of endemism of 18%, and the seamounts situated west of 83° W (150-800 m) with a rate of endemism of 32%. Some species, such as Calcinus imperialis, Panulirus pascuensis, or Leptograpsus variegatus, indicate a link between the area studied and the islands that lie along the southern edge of the tropical Pacific (e.g. Pitcairn, Rapa, Kermadec). The species diversity decreases by a factor of five from west to east between French Polynesia and Easter Island.
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