Sundathelphusa
Genus of crabs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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| Sundathelphusa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sundathelphusa cagayana specimen Photo: MNHN Photographer:Noémy MOLLARET Licensed under CC BY 4.0 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Gecarcinucidae |
| Genus: | Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969 |
| Type species | |
| Parathelphusa grapsoides H. Milne-Edwards, 1853 | |
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
