Ghatiana sanguinolenta Pati & Thackeray & Pawar 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pati, Sameer Kumar
name: Thackeray, Tejas
name: Pawar, Swapnil
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Malacostraca
Decapoda
Gecarcinucidae
Ghatiana
Ghatiana sanguinolenta

description: Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov.
[Blood-red Ghat Crab]
(Figs. 2, 3, 4)
Type material. HOLOTYPE: ZSI-WRC C.2353, adult male (CW 24.48 mm, CL 15.38 mm, CH 10.28 mm, FW 9.04 mm), Balekoppa, near Devimane on Sirsi-Kumta road, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka state, India, 14.527°N, 74.596°E, altitude 413 m a.s.l., coll. Swapnil Pawar, 1 September 2021.
PARATYPES: ZSI-WRC C.2354, adult male (CW 28.53 mm, CL 17.85 mm, CH 12.82 mm, FW 10.40 mm), 2 adult females (CW 26.39–28.45 mm, CL 16.84–18.26 mm, CH 12.38–12.71 mm, FW 9.79–10.39 mm), same collection data as for holotype.
Diagnosis. Carapace in adult proportionately broad (CW/CL = 1.6) (Figs. 2A, 3A, C), strongly arched (CH / CL = 0.7) (Fig. 2B); lateral margins strongly convex (Figs. 2A, 3A, C); anterolateral margins relatively short, subcristate (Figs. 2A, 3A, C); epibranchial tooth visible as weak notch (Figs. 2A, 3A, C); branchial regions rugose (Figs. 2A, 3A, C); frontal margin relatively close to anterior margin of epistome, almost hiding antennular fossae (Fig. 2B). Eyes relatively small as compared to orbital space; each eye with relatively slenderer eyestalk (Fig. 2B). Maxilliped 1, 2 each with short flagellum on exopod (Fig. 2D); maxilliped 3 exopod without flagellum (Fig. 2E). Major chela in adult male with pointed fingertips; palm in adult male relatively stout; ventral margin of fixed finger and distal half of palm in adult male strongly concave (Fig. 2F). Ambulatory legs relatively long (P3 length/CL = ca. 2.5) (Figs. 2A, C, 3A, C). Male pleonal somite 6 subquadrate (Figs. 2C, G, 3B). Male telson elongated (Figs. 2C, G, 3B). G1 relatively slender, medially gently curved outwards; ultimate article relatively slender, distally gently curved outwards, relatively long, ca. 0.4 times length of penultimate article; penultimate article relatively slender (Fig. 2H, I). G2 very short, with very short penultimate article (Fig. 2J). Female pleon and telson in adult broadly subtriangular, with lateral margins of telson strongly concave (Fig. 3D). Vulvae in adult relatively closely positioned (VD/SW = ca. 0.25), each subovate in shape, relatively large, occupying ca. 0.5 times length of s6, positioned close to s5/s6 (Fig. 3E).
Colour in life. Crabs have dark blood-red coloured carapace and pereiopods, with blanched fingers (Fig. 4).
Etymology. The specific epithet, ‘sanguinolenta’ meaning blood-red, is a Latin adjective in the nominative singular, which alludes to the crab's colour in life.
The proposed common name of the new species is “Blood-red Ghat Crab”.
Ecological notes. Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. dwells in the forests of the Central Western Ghats. These crabs live in tree holes during the evening and night-time. Juveniles were found living with adults in some tree holes. Individuals can also forage on open ground in non-forested areas.
Remarks. In diagnostic features, the paratype male (ZSI-WRC C.2354) of G. sanguinolenta sp. nov. is indistinguishable from the holotype. The male paratype differs from the holotype only by the shape of the pleonal somite 6, which is slightly longer than broad (Fig. 3B) (vs. slightly broader than long in the holotype; Fig. 2G). The female paratypes (ZSI-WRC C.2354) are consistent with the holotype in non-sexual diagnostic characters.
The dark blood-red colour-in-life of Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. is unique in the genus, which is convenient for identifying the species in field. The outwardly curved ultimate article of the G1 is characteristic of G. sanguinolenta sp. nov. (Fig. 2H), whereas the remaining species of Ghatiana possess a straight or inwardly curved G1 ultimate article (see Pati & Thackeray 2018: figs. 3D, 4D, 5D, 6I, 7D, 8I, 9I, 10D; Pati & Thackeray 2021: figs. 2D, 5D; Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 4D). The new species otherwise most closely resembles G. basalticola, G. dvivarna, and G. pulchra Pati & Thackeray, 2018, in having a proportionately broader carapace (CW/CL = 1.6–1.9) (Fig. 2A; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: figs. 5A, 8A; Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 3A).
Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov., G. dvivarna and G. pulchra can be distinguished from G. basalticola by the G1, which is almost straight or medially gently curved outwards, with the ultimate article being relatively longer, ca. 0.4–0.5 times the length of the penultimate article (Fig. 2H; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 8I; Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 4D) (vs. G1 medially distinctly curved outwards, with the ultimate article being relatively shorter, ca. 0.3 times the length of the penultimate article in G. basalticola; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 5D).
Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. and G. dvivarna are immediately differentiated from G. pulchra by the form of the frontal margin, which is relatively close to the anterior margin of the epistome and conceals the antennular fossae (Fig. 2B; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 3B) (vs. frontal margin some distance from the anterior margin of the epistome exposing the antennular fossae in G. pulchra; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 8B); the eye being relatively small as compared to the orbital space, with the relatively slender eyestalk (Fig. 2B; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 3B) (vs. eye relatively large as compared to the orbital space, with the relatively stout eyestalk in G. pulchra; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 8B); and the G1 ultimate article being comparatively more slender (Fig. 2H; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 4D) than in G. pulchra (see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 8I).
The morphological resemblance of the new species to G. dvivarna notwithstanding, G. sanguinolenta sp. nov. is separated from G. dvivarna in having a relatively stout palm of the major chela of the adult males, with the strongly concave ventral margin of the fixed finger and the distal half of the palm (Fig. 2F) (vs. major chela with relatively slender palm in adult males, with gently concave ventral margin of the fixed finger and the distal half of the palm; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 4B); the outwardly curved and relatively shorter ultimate article of the G1, ca. 0.4 times the length of the penultimate article (Fig. 2H) (vs. G1 ultimate article straight and relatively longer, ca. 0.5 times the length of the penultimate article; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 4D); and the strongly concave lateral margins of the female telson (Fig. 3D) (vs. female telson with almost straight lateral margins; see Pati et al. 2022a: fig. 5C). Both G. sanguinolenta sp. nov. and G. dvivarna are known only from the Western Ghats of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka (Pati et al. 2022a; present study). Although the type locality of G. sanguinolenta sp. nov. is some 30 km away from the type locality of G. dvivarna, their respective type localities are situated in the isolated mountains separated by the Gangavali River and the deep valley, which could represent the geographic barriers in the form of “sky islands” (see Pati et al. 2023b).
Ghatiana atropurpurea and G. rouxi are likely to be encountered along with the new species. Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. is easily differentiated from them mainly by the proportionately broader carapace, CW/CL = 1.6 (Fig. 2A) (vs. carapace proportionately narrower, CW/CL = 1.2–1.5 in G. atropurpurea and G. rouxi; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 3A; 2021: 4A); the relatively small eye as compared to the orbital space, with the eyestalk relatively slender (Fig. 2B) (vs. eye relatively large as compared to the orbital space, with the eyestalk relatively stout in G. atropurpurea and G. rouxi; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 3B; 2021: 4C); and the outwardly curved and relatively shorter ultimate article of the G1, which is about 0.4 times the length of the penultimate article (Fig. 2H) (vs. G1 ultimate article inwardly curved and relatively longer, ca. 0.5 times the length of the penultimate article in G. atropurpurea and G. rouxi; see Pati & Thackeray 2018: fig. 3D; 2021: 5D).
Geographical distribution. Ghatiana sanguinolenta sp. nov. is currently known only from the type locality, i.e., Balekoppa in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state. The type locality is situated in the Central Western Ghats of India (Fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Pati, Sameer Kumar, Thackeray, Tejas & Pawar, Swapnil, 2023, Ghatiana sanguinolenta, a new species of freshwater crab (Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from the Central Western Ghats of India, pp. 372-378 in Zootaxa 5353 (4) on pages 374-377, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.4.4, http://zenodo.org/record/8430765