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 14th freshwater crab to have been discovered.