Biology:Sundathelphusa

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Sundathelphusa is a genus of freshwater crabs in the family Gecarcinucidae, endemic to the Philippines and parts of Indonesia, including Sulawesi.[1] These crabs exhibit remarkable adaptations to diverse freshwater habitats, including caves and montane streams.

Ecology and habitat

Habitat preferences

  • Surface-dwelling species: Found in rivers, streams, and swamps (e.g., S. Cagayana in Luzon island).[2]
  • Despite being a cave-adapted species: Troglobitic forms like S. spelaeophila do not exhibit reduced eyes and pigmentation.[3]
  • Montane species: S. cagayana inhabits high-elevation streams in northeastern Luzon.[2]

Ecological roles

  • Bioindicators: Sensitive to water pollution and habitat degradation.[4]

Behavior

  • Nocturnal activity: Most species forage at night to avoid predators.[4]
  • Burrowing: Construct burrows in muddy banks for shelter and reproduction.[5]
  • Reproduction: Direct development (no larval stage); females carry eggs under the abdomen.[2]
  • Cave adaptations: Troglobitic species rely on special adaptations due to reduced vision.[3]

Taxonomy and species

Distinction from Parathelphusa

  • Morphology: Sundathelphusa has elongate ambulatory legs compared to Parathelphusa.[5]
  • Distribution: Sundathelphusa is restricted to the Philippines and Sulawesi, while Parathelphusa occurs in mainland Southeast Asia.[1]

Species

  • Sundathelphusa currently has the following species:[1]
  • Sundathelphusa angelito Ng & Mendoza, 2020
  • Sundathelphusa antipoloensis (Rathbun, 1904)
  • Sundathelphusa aruana (Roux, 1911)
  • Sundathelphusa boex Ng & Sket, 1996
  • Sundathelphusa cagayana Mendoza & Naruse, 2010
  • Sundathelphusa cassiope (De Man, 1902)
  • Sundathelphusa cavernicola (Takeda, 1983)
  • Sundathelphusa cebu Husana & Ng, 2019
  • Sundathelphusa celer (Ng, 1991)
  • Sundathelphusa danae Husana, Yamamuro & Ng, 2014
  • Sundathelphusa grapsoides (H. Milne Edwards, 1853)
  • Sundathelphusa hades Takeda & Ng, 2001
  • Sundathelphusa halmaherensis (De Man, 1902)
  • Sundathelphusa holthuisi Ng, 2010
  • Sundathelphusa jagori (von Martens, 1868)
  • Sundathelphusa lobo Husana, Naruse & Kase, 2009
  • Sundathelphusa longipes (Balss, 1937)
  • Sundathelphusa miguelito Mendoza & Sy, 2017
  • Sundathelphusa minahassae (Schenkel, 1902)
  • Sundathelphusa mistio (Rathbun, 1904)
  • Sundathelphusa molluscivora Schubart & Ng, 2008
  • Sundathelphusa montana (Bürger, 1894)
  • Sundathelphusa montanoanus (Rathbun, 1904)
  • Sundathelphusa niwangtiil Husana, Kase & Mendoza, 2015
  • Sundathelphusa orsoni Husana, Kase & Mendoza, 2015
  • Sundathelphusa philippina (von Martens, 1868)
  • Sundathelphusa picta (von Martens, 1868)
  • Sundathelphusa prosperidad Husana, 2020
  • Sundathelphusa quirino Husana & Ng, 2019
  • Sundathelphusa roberti Ng & Mendoza, 2024
  • Sundathelphusa rubra (Schenkel, 1902)
  • Sundathelphusa sottoae Ng & Sket, 1996
  • Sundathelphusa subquadratus (Gerstaecker, 1856)
  • Sundathelphusa sutteri (Bott, 1970)
  • Sundathelphusa tuerkayi Ng & Anker, 2016
  • Sundathelphusa urichi Ng & Sket, 1996
  • Sundathelphusa uva Ng & Mendoza, 2020
  • Sundathelphusa vedeniki Ng & Sket, 1996
  • Sundathelphusa vienae Husana, Yamamuro & Ng, 2014
  • Sundathelphusa waray Husana, Naruse & Kase, 2009
  • Sundathelphusa wolterecki (Balss, 1937)
  • Sundathelphusa aspera Ng & Stuebing, 1989 synonymous to Borneosa aspera (Ng & Stuebing, 1989)
  • Sundathelphusa brachyphallus Ng, 2015 synonymous to Borneosa brachyphallus (Ng, 2015)
  • Sundathelphusa spelaeophila Stasolla, Abbarchi & Innocenti, 2015 synonymous to Sundathelphusa philippina (von Martens, 1868)
  • Sundathelphusa tenebrosa Holthuis, 1979 synonymous to Borneosa tenebrosa Holthuis, 1979

Conservation

Threats

  • Habitat loss due to deforestation, mining, and urban development.[6][7]
  • Pollution of freshwater ecosystems.[6][7]
  • Introduction of invasive species.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969". https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=439552. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mendoza, Jose C. (2010). "A New Species of Riverine Crab of the Genus Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from Panay Island, Philippines". Philippine Journal of Science 139 (1): 61-70. https://philjournalsci.dost.gov.ph/images/pdf/pjs_pdf/vol139no1/pdfs/A_new_species_of_riverine_crab.pdf. Retrieved 15 April 2025. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stasolla, D.; Abbarchi, L.; Innocenti, G. (2015). "A new cave-dwelling Sundathelphusa from the Philippines". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 63: 448–453. https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/app/uploads/2017/06/63rbz448-453.pdf. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Molina, Ziljih S. (2020). "Body Size, Habitat, and Diet of Freshwater Crab Isolapotamon mindanaoense and Sundathelphusa miguelito (Crustacea: Brachyura) in the Municipality of Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, Philippines". Science Diliman 32 (1): 68-87. https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/sciencediliman/article/download/7216/6283. Retrieved 15 April 2025. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ng, Peter K. L. (2001). "A Revision of the Genus Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from the Philippines". Zoological Society of Japan 18: 1123-1127. https://research.nhm.org/pdfs/23257/23257.pdf. Retrieved 15 April 2025. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cumberlidge, Neil (2009). "Freshwater crabs and the biodiversity crisis: Importance, threats, status, and conservation challenges". Biological Conservation 142 (8): 1665–1673. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2009.02.038. https://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/facwork_journalarticles/article/1038/&path_info=Cumberlidge_2009_Biological_Conservation.pdf. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Husana, Daniel Edison M. (2020). "Sundathelphusa prosperidad, sp. n. (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae), a new cave-obligate freshwater crab from Mindanao Island, the Philippines, with notes on the conservation status of Philippine cave species". Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82 (3): 210–218. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0116. https://caves.org/wp-content/uploads/Publications/JCKS/v82/82_3_210.pdf. 

Wikidata ☰ Q18581336 entry



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