Volume 27, Issue 80, July - December, 2026

A new Freshwater crab Ghatiana karnataka sp. nov (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae) from Karnataka, India

Santanu Mitra^1♦, Ajmeer K²

¹Crustacea Division, Zoological Survey of India, Fireproof Spirit Building, 27 J. L. Nehru Road, Kolkata 700016, West Bengal, India
²Beat Forester, Kollur Range Forest office, Mookambika wildlife Sanctuary, Kuduremukha division, Karnataka Forest department, Udupi, Karnataka, India.

^♦Corresponding Author
Santanu Mitra, Crustacea Division, Zoological Survey of India, Fireproof Spirit Building, 27 J. L. Nehru Road, Kolkata 700016, West Bengal, India

ABSTRACT

The freshwater crab genus, Ghatiana Pati & Sharma, 2014, is represented by 14 species; all are endemic to the Western Ghats of India. This genus is distinct in the family Gecarcinucidae, by having a high, broad carapace; the terminal article of male first gonopod is relatively long, the male second gonopod very short, the third maxilliped exopod lacks a developed flagellum. All the described species of this genus are endemic in the Western Ghats region of India and have distinct colorations. A new species, Ghatiana karnataka sp. nov., is illustrated and described herein collected from laterite rocks of the central Western Ghats at Mavinkaru of the Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary in the Udupi district, Karnataka state, India. Ghatiana karnataka sp. nov. is most closely related to G. dhritiarum Pati, Naik & Gouda, 2026, recently described from Karnataka, in male first gonopod morphology. Structures of carapace, male pleonal somite 6, vulvae, live colorations and other features of the G1 are used to distinguish them. This state is now known for eight species of Ghatiana. The discovery of the new species suggests more exploration need to be conducted along the Western Ghats, especially central Western Ghats.

Keywords: Crustacea, Decapoda, Karnataka, Taxonomy, Western Ghats

Species, 2026, 27(80), e17s3295

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Published: 21 July 2026