Crabs are Decapod Crustaceans related to Shrimps, Crayfish and
Lobsters. Most Crabs occupy marine environments; however Freshwater and Land
Crabs are widespread in the tropics, particularly in Southeast Asia, where they
are particularly diverse and where several new species are discovered every
year. Members of the family Gecarcinucidae are obligate Freshwater Crabs found found from India and Sri Lanka east across Southeast Asia and Indonesia as far as Australia.
In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 23 October 2017, Peter Ng of the Lee KongChian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore, describes a new species of Gecarcinucid Freshwater Crab from Langkawi Island. off the northwest coast of Peninsula Malaysia.
The new species is placed in the genus Salangathelphusa, and given the specific name peractio, meaning 'end of the story', in reference to the fact that Peter Ng has carried out fieldwork on Langkawi Island for 30 years, was somewhat surprised to find a new species on such a small and heavily surveyed island, and does not expect to describe any more species from the island. These are small, squarish, orange-brown Crabs. The males are larger than the females, reaching slightly over 25 mm, compared to about 15 mm. The species was found in fast-flowing, rocky, streams at the southern base of Gunung Raya, the highest peak on the island (881 m).
Salangathelphusa peractio, male (22.4 × 17.7 mm). Ng (2017).
All of the observed Crabs were living within an area of a few hundred square metres, within Lubuk Semilang Park, though this area is covered with dense vegetation, and similar environments nearby are very hard to access. The Lubuk Semilang Park is dedicated to recreation, rather than conservation, and is open to a range of activities which might be harmful to the Crabs, as such Ng considers the species should be considered vulnerable until further information is available.
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