Surveys of Afrotemperate forests yields two new freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838) from South Africa

  • Sampling of remote inland aquatic habitats in South Africa has constantly been yielding novel endemic freshwater crab species (Potamonautes MacLeay,1838). During the present study, we report on the discovery and description of two new freshwater crab species (Potamonautes baziya sp. nov., and P. mariepskoppie sp. nov.) from Afrotemperate forested mountain regions in the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, respectively. Phylogenetic evidence derived from DNA sequence data of three partial mitochondrial loci (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit one, COI) corroborates the evolutionary distinction of the two novel species. In addition, morphological and ecological data for the two new species further delineate their evolutionary distinction from congeneric sister species. A comparison of the taxonomically important gonopods 1 and 2 and carapace features among the sister species and other known freshwater crabs of South Africa was further used to provide evidence for the distinction of the two novel species. The discovery of two new species suggest that remote mountainous areas or unsampled regions in South Africa likely harbor several novel species, reiterating a call to document aquatic inland biodiversity in forested and mountainous regions of the country.

Download full text files

Export metadata

Metadaten
Author:Savel R. Daniels, Aaron Barnes, Hannes Marais, Gavin Gouws
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-626832
DOI:https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.782.1591
ISSN:2118-9773
Parent Title (German):European journal of taxonomy
Series (Serial Number):European journal of taxonomy : EJT (782:82-107)
Publisher:Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle
Place of publication:Paris
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2021/12/07
Date of first Publication:2021/12/07
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2021/12/07
Tag:Aquatic biodiversity; Decapoda; evolutionary relationships; novel lineages
Volume:2021
Issue:782
Page Number:26
First Page:82
Last Page:107
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 59 Tiere (Zoologie) / 590 Tiere (Zoologie)
Sammlungen:Sammlung Biologie / Sondersammelgebiets-Volltexte
:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-257882
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0