Context

A distinctively coloured crab species has been discovered in the Western Ghats by a forest guard and a group of researchers.

About the new species

• The crab has been named Ghatiana dvivarnaspnov.
• The freshwater species was first spotted in Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka.
• The crab’s name is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dvivarna’, which means bicolour, as the crustacean has a white body and claws and “red-violet” legs.
• The species was first sighted in June, 2021 in Anshi wildlife range, Kali Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.
• These crabs usually inhabit the holes in laterite rocks on the elevated mountains of central Western Ghats (south of Goa-Nilgiris) region.
• They feed on mosses growing on laterite rocks and play a key role in ensuring ecological balance.
• In India, there are about 125 species of crabs and 13 have been recorded so far under Ghatiana genus.
• Ghatianadvivarna is the 14^th freshwater crab to have been discovered.