New Crab from Madagascar

A new species of freshwater crab from Madagascar has been described in Zootaxa (1524: 61-68, 2007). This new species, Hydrothelphusa vencesi was collected under the supervision Dr. Muguel Vences from the Vevembe Forest in the Fianarantsoa Province of Madagascar.

Authors Neil Cumberlidge, Saskia Marijnissen and Jonelle Thompson examined the specimens collected by Dr. Vences and based on morphological and molecular differences assigned this crab to a new species.

In total Madagascar now has 14 native species of crab.

Hydrothelphusa vencesi is a maximum (known) size of 52 mm (just over 2 inches) and has a purple-brown shell (carapace). It is known from three (3) locations in the southeastern part of Madagascar, the Mananara River, the Sahavatov River and the Sahambano River.

For more details read Hydrothelphusa vencesi, a new species of freshwater crab (Brachyura: Potamoidea: Potamonautidae) from southeastern Madagascar