''Neoepilobocera gertraudae'' is a species of cave-dwelling

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Classification

The species was first described by Gerhard Pretzmann as ''Epilobocera gertraudae'' in 1965. ''N. gertraudae'' is classified in the family

Pseudothelphusidae Pseudothelphusidae is a family of freshwater crabs found chiefly in mountain streams in the Neotropics. They are believed to have originated in the Greater Antilles and then crossed to Central America via a Pliocene land bridge. Parasitology Pse ...

, and is the only species in the genus ''Neoepilobocera''. It is considered by some authorities to be

synonymous A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

with the widespread ''

Epilobocera cubensis ''Epilobocera'' is a genus of crabs in the family Epiloboceridae (formerly Pseudothelphusidae). It is the only genus in its family; this taxonomic arrangement follows the revision of the family Pseudothelphusidae by Álvarez and colleagues. Spec ...

''.

Distribution

It is only found in

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

ic caves in

Viñales Viñales is a town and municipality in the north-central Pinar del Río Province of Cuba. The town consists mostly of one-story wooden houses with porches. The municipality is dominated by low mountain ranges of the Guaniguanico, Cordillera de Gu ...

and nearby parts of

Pinar del Río Province Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba. Geography The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guanig ...

, Cuba.

Description

''Neoepilobocera gertraudae'' differs from the other

freshwater crab Around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs are distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs, which relea ...

s of Cuba, all in the genus ''

Epilobocera ''Epilobocera'' is a genus of crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely ...

'', by its longer legs and paler coloration, both of which are

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

s to living in caves. It is smaller than ''Epilobocera'', reaching a

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

length of only , and with a flattened body.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6992788 Pseudothelphusidae Fauna of Cuba Freshwater crustaceans of North America Monotypic arthropod genera Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN