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| Ghatiana pulchra | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Gecarcinucidae |
| Genus: | Ghatiana |
| Species: | G. pulchra |
| Binomial name | |
| Ghatiana pulchra Pati & Thackeray, 2018 | |
Ghatiana pulchra is a species of freshwater crab from the northern Western Ghats in India that was first identified in 2018.
Characteristics
Ghatiana pulchra is distinguished from other crabs of the genus Ghatiana by its distinctive red-violet carapace, chelipeds with blanched fingers, as well as its dark red-violet ambulatory legs.
Distribution
Ghatiana pulchra's type locality is Valmiki Pathaar in Satara district of Maharashtra. It is endemic to this area.
Behaviour and ecology
Ghatiana pulchra is a highly stenotopic crab and restricted to an area of 1 km or less as it lives in the Valmiki Pathaar, which is an isolated, flat-topped, and high mountain. Such a high endemism of the species could be related to the isolated and elevated nature of the mountain that plays a role of 'sky island'. G.pulchara is restricted only to the edge of the mountain plateau on grassy slopes. It dwells inside the holes of boulders mainly of basaltic formation that are accumulated with rainwater. A couple of crabs were also noticed adventuring out in the open ground soon after the sunset, which indicates a crepuscular or even nocturnal nature of the species.
References
- ^ Pati, S.K.; Thackeray, Tejas (25 June 2018). "The freshwater crab genera Ghatiana Pati & Sharma, Gubernatoriana Bott, and Inglethelphusa Bott (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) revisited, with descriptions of a new genus and eleven new species". Zootaxa. 4440 (1): 73. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4440.1.1.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Ghatiana pulchra | |