Article
Vol. 61-49, 2022
New Genus and Two New Species of Semiterrestrial Crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from the Southern Western Ghats, India
Smrithy Raj*, Appukuttannair Biju Kumar, Peter K. L. Ng
Smrithy Raj
Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram – 695581, Kerala, India
National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bellary Road, Bangalore 560065, Karnataka, India
Wildlife Information Liaison Development, 12 Thiruvannamalai Nagar, Saravanampatti-Kalapatti Road, Saravanampatti, Coimbatore Tamil Nadu 641035, India
smrithyaqb@gmail.com
Appukuttannair Biju Kumar
Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram – 695581, Kerala, India.
bijupuzhayoram@gmail.com
Peter K. L. Ng
Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, 2 Conservatory Drive, Singapore 117377, Republic of Singapore.
peterng@nus.edu.sg
Communicated by Benny Kwok Kan Chan

One new genus and two new species of semiterrestrial freshwater crabs are described from the Southern Western Ghats mountain range in India: Pavizham gavi gen., sp. nov. and Rajathelphusa brunnea sp. nov. The carapace of Pavizham n. gen. is superficially similar to Baratha and Snaha described from the same region, but it can be distinguished from Baratha in having no visible postorbital cristae, complete sutures between male thoracic sternites 2 and 3, the possession of a triangular male pleon and the elongate terminal segment of the male first gonopod; and from Snaha by the presence of a long flagellum on the exopod of the third maxilliped, a complete suture separating male thoracic sternites 2 and 3, and its triangular male pleon. Rajathelphusa brunnea sp. nov. can easily be distinguished from congeners in possessing a distinctly more slender and elongate male first gonopod.

Keywords

Pavizham, Rajathelphusa, Taxonomy, Kerala, Freshwater crab, Indian subcontinent, Biodiversity.

About this article
Citation:

Raj S, Kumar AB, Ng PKL. 2022. New genus and two new species of semiterrestrial crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from the southern Western Ghats, India. Zool Stud 61:49. doi:10.6620/ZS.2022.61-49.

( Received 25 November 2021 / Accepted 05 June 2022 / Published 11 October 2022 )
DOI: https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2022.61-49