Limnopilos naiyanetri | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Brachyura |
Family: | Hymenosomatidae |
Genus: | Limnopilos |
Species: | L. naiyanetri |
Binomial name | |
Limnopilos naiyanetri Chuang & Ng, 1991 | |
Synonyms [ citation needed ] | |
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Limnopilos naiyanetri, commonly referred to as the Thai micro crab or pill-box crab, is a freshwater hymenosomatid crab endemic to Thailand. [1] Its presence has only been confirmed in the Tha Chin River. The species was described in 1991 and represents the type species of Limnopilos. The Thai micro crab was first introduced to the aquarium hobby in 2008 when it was imported to Germany by the tropical fish importer Aquarium Glaser GmbH, [2] and has slowly grown in popularity with aquarium hobbyists. It remains a relatively rare species on the market and detailed information on the husbandry of this species is scarce.
This species is quite small, the carapace reaching only 1 cm in width at maturity. The leg span may reach lengths of 2.5 cm. Individuals of this species are semi-translucent and range from grey to light brown. It has a circular, flat carapace with contiguous gastro-cardiac grooves and margin. A defining feature of this species is a setose or pilose carapace and chelipeds. These soft hairs collect detritus, which may provide food or serve as camouflage for the animal. [3] Like other hymenosomatids, Limnopilos naiyanetri has a weak or absent rostrum. [1] There are many characteristics which distinguish it from other hymenosomatid crabs, however: its telson is not distinctly trilobate, the eyes are not concealed from dorsal view by the anterior carapace, and male first pleopods have a simple structure. In both male and female individuals, all abdominal segments are free and unfused. [4] [1]
Many aspects of this species' ecology and natural history are still poorly understood, and there have been no documented instances of reproduction in captivity. The crabs release free-moving larvae which are assumed to develop in freshwater, but this is unconfirmed. [5]
Limnopilos naiyanetri is endemic to Thailand. The first identified individuals were collected from a section of the Tha Chin River in the Nakhom Pathom province, where they were found on the roots of water hyacinths. [1] [5] The species is elusive and its presence has not been confirmed outside of this river basin. They are nocturnally active and forage for detritus on aquatic plants and mosses, although they may act as opportunistic carnivores.
In aquariums, this species should be kept between pH 6.5 and 7.3 with temperatures between 70 and 82 °F. These crabs are sensitive to water conditions and nutrient levels in the water should be closely monitored.
Limnopilos naiyanetri was described in 1991 by Christina Chuang and Peter Ng, but shortly thereafter in 1995 Ng reclassified the species under the genus Hymenicoides, a closely related group of hymenosomatids. [6] In 1996, Ng and Chuang commented that the characteristics which made them decide the crab represented a new genus than Hymenicoides originally were the lack of a protuberance on the outer surface of the male cheliped and structural differences of the telson, but after reconsideration these seemed to be interspecific rather than intergeneric differences. [7] However, Danièle Guinot and Bertrand Richer de Forges studied specimens in 1997 and commented that the crabs may in fact represent a genus separate from Hymenicoides. [8] The genus Limnopilos and the species Limnopilos naiyanetri were confirmed in 2007, along with two new species of Limnopilos, by Tohru Naruse and Peter Ng. [4]
Hymenosomatidae is a family of crabs with some 110 described species in nearly 20 genera. The following genera are placed in the Hymenosomatidae:
Tuerkayana hirtipes is a species of terrestrial crab.
Discoplax is a genus of terrestrial crabs. It is very closely related to the genus Cardisoma.
Cardisoma is a genus of large land crabs. Three species formerly placed in this genus are now placed in Discoplax. The four species that remain in Cardisoma are found in warm coastal regions where they live in burrows. Young individuals are often very colourful with a purple-blue carapace and orange-red legs, but as they grow older the colours tend to fade, and females may be duller than males. Although less extreme than in fiddler crabs, one claw is usually considerably larger than the other. They are omnivores, but primarily feed on plant material.
Hainanpotamon vietnamicum is a species of crab. Originally described as a species of Geothelphusa, it is now treated as part of the genus Hainanpotamon, although it has also been suggested as a member of Tiwaripotamon. It is only known from a single locality in Cúc Phương National Park, Ninh Bình Province, Vietnam.
Pseudozioidea is a superfamily of crabs, formerly treated in the Eriphioidea, Carpilioidea, Xanthoidea, Pilumnoidea and Goneplacoidea. A number of fossils from the Eocene onwards are known from the family Pseudoziidae. Eleven genera are recognised in three families:
Johora singaporensis, the Singapore stream crab or Singapore freshwater crab, is a critically endangered species of freshwater crab endemic to Singapore. It grows to a size of 30 millimetres (1.2 in) wide.
Amarinus lacustris is a species of freshwater crab from Australia, New Zealand and nearby islands, where it lives in water of various salinities. It grows up to 10 mm (0.4 in) wide, with an H-shaped groove on its back. It is an omnivore and is eaten by crayfish and fish. It was first discovered in Lake Pupuke, near Auckland, and is the only freshwater crab in New Zealand.
Neoepilobocera gertraudae is a species of cave-dwelling crab from Cuba.
Villalobosius is a genus of crabs in the family Pseudothelphusidae, containing a single species, Villalobosius lopezformenti. It lives in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and is adapted to a troglobitic lifestyle.
Karstarma is a genus of karst-dwelling crabs formerly included in Sesarmoides.
Hainanpotamon is a genus of freshwater crabs, containing the following species:
Cancrocaeca xenomorpha is a species of troglobitic (cave-dwelling) freshwater crab from Sulawesi, the only species in the monotypic genus Cancrocaeca. It has been described as the world's "most highly cave-adapted species of crab".
Geosesarma dennerle is a species of small land-living crabs found on Java, Indonesia.
Christmaplax mirabilis is a species of crab native to Christmas Island, Australia. It is the only known species in the genus Christmaplax.
Nanhaipotamon is a genus of freshwater crabs, in the subfamily Potamiscinae, found in southern China and Taiwan. As of 2018, 18 species have been described. The genus is named after the South China Sea, for it occurs mostly in coastal areas. The genus was first described by R. Bott in 1968 as Isolapotamon (Nanhaipotamon), i.e., a subgenus of Isolapotamon.
Leptuca deichmanni, commonly known as Deichmann's fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the eastern Pacific coast of Central America, in Costa Rica and Panama.
Leptuca musica, commonly known as the musical fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to Baja California and the Gulf of California in Mexico.
Leptuca terpsichores, commonly known as the dancing fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to the eastern Pacific coast of the Americas, from Nicaragua to Peru.
Limnopilos is a genus of small hymenosomatid crabs endemic to Southeast Asia. The genus was described by Christina Chuang and Peter Ng in 1991, who identified the new species Limnopilos naiyanetri and distinguished it from the closely related genus Hymenicoides. Its true taxonomic classification was debated for several years, but in 2007 the discovery of a new species of crab in this genus solidified the distinction between Limnopilos and Hymenicoides. Many aspects of the genus Limnopilos are still poorly understood. Their ecology and natural history have not been studied in detail, and their reproductive cycle remains mysterious.