A new crab species dwelling in freshwater known as Teretamon ke-mpi have been found at Namdapha Tiger Reserve in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh.
The species was found when a survey was conducted by scientists of Zoological Survey of India(ZSI) and the research paper was reported in the journal Zootaxa.
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The crab has a round-shaped carapace and its surface is glossy and measures around 1.5 inches in size.
The crab found to be of brownish hue generally resides under burrows in rocks or boulders or in streams and is found only at Namdapha.
The three-member team of ZSI who spotted the crab were Santanu Mitra, Arajush Payra and Kailash Chandra. the survey was carried out last year.
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Mitra said that the new crab species are found to breed only during the monsoon seasons.
He also said that the team found that several crabs may reside together under a burrow in a rock and they retreat quickly under rocky surfaces if disturbed.
The team collected specimens from primary forests and from elevations of 375–657 metres above sea level.
The specimens mostly were potamid crabs that were collected from the riparian zone along hill streams of Namdapha .
The crab has been named after a superintendent of ZSI and also a scientist famous for his work on crustaceans, Stanley W. Kemp (1882–1945), reports The Telegraph .
The paper reported that after the discovery of this new crab species, it has been found that altogether 10 species of freshwater crab species are now in Arunachal Pradesh.
The new crab species differs from Teretamon spelaeum, a cave-dwelling potamid crab species found at Krem Khung cave in Larket village, East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya.