Pseudothelphusidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 found chiefly in mountain streams in the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...

. They are believed to have originated in the

Greater Antilles The Greater Antilles ( es, Grandes Antillas or Antillas Mayores; french: Grandes Antilles; ht, Gwo Zantiy; jam, Grieta hAntiliiz) is a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea, including Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and ...

and then crossed to

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

via a

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58land bridge In biogeography, a land bridge is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and Colonisation (biology), colonize new lands. A land bridge can be created by marine regre ...

Parasitology

Pseudothelpshusids are of significance to humans because many species are

secondary host In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include a ...

s for

lung fluke ''Paragonimus'' is a genus of flukes (trematodes) and is the only genus in the monotypic family Paragonimidae. Some tens of species have been described, but they are difficult to distinguish, so it is not clear how many of the named species may b ...

s of the genus ''

Paragonimus ''Paragonimus'' is a genus of flukes (trematodes) and is the only genus in the monotypic family Paragonimidae. Some tens of species have been described, but they are difficult to distinguish, so it is not clear how many of the named species may b ...

''.

Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

s of pseuthelphusid crabs include the

yellow-spotted river turtle The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle (''Podocnemis unifilis''), also known commonly as the yellow-headed sideneck turtle and the yellow-spotted river turtle, and locally as the taricaya, is one of the largest South American river turtles. It ...

and the

tufted capuchin The tufted capuchin (''Sapajus apella''), also known as brown capuchin, black-capped capuchin, or pin monkey is a New World primate from South America and the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Margarita. As traditionally defined, it is one of th ...

Taxonomy

Forty genera are recognised: *'' Allacanthos'' Smalley, 1964 *'' Achlidon'' Smalley, 1964 *'' Brasiliothelphusa'' Magalhães & Türkay, 1986 *'' Camptophallus'' Smalley, 1965 *''

Chaceus ''Chaceus'' 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 und ...

'' Pretzmann, 1965 *''

Disparithelphusa ''Disparithelphusa pecki'' is a species of freshwater crab in the family Pseudothelphusidae, and the only species in the genus ''Disparithelphusa''. The first specimens of ''D. pecki'' were collected by Stewart Peck in 1971 at an altitude of i ...

'' Smalley & Adkinson, 1984 *'' Ehecatusa'' Ng & Low, 2010 *''

Eidocamptophallus ''Eidocamptophallus chacei'' is a species 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 h ...

'' Rodríguez & Hobbs, 1989 *''

Elsalvadoria ''Elsalvadoria'' 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 entirel ...

'' Bott, 1967 *''

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 ...

'' Stimpson, 1860 *''

Eudaniela ''Eudaniela'' 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 un ...

'' Pretzmann, 1971 *''

Fredius ''Fredius'' 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 und ...

'' Pretzmann, 1967 *''

Guinotia ''Guinotia'' is a genus of crabs in the family Pseudothelphusidae, containing the following species: * ''Guinotia dentata ''Guinotia dentata'', commonly known as ''cyrique'', is a West Indian species of freshwater crab in the family Pseudot ...

'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Hypolobocera'' Ortmann, 1897 *'' Kingsleya'' Ortmann, 1897 *'' Lindacatalina'' Pretzmann, 1977 *'' Lobithelphusa'' Rodríguez, 1982 *'' Martiana'' Rodríguez, 1980 *'' Microthelphusa'' Pretzmann, 1968 *'' Moritschus'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Neoepilobocera'' Capolongo & Pretzmann, 2002 *'' Neopseudothelphusa'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Neostrengeria'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Odontothelphusa'' Rodríguez, 1982 *'' Oedothelphusa'' Rodríguez, 1980 *'' Orthothelphusa'' Rodríguez, 1980 *'' Phallangothelphusa'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Phrygiopilus'' Smalley, 1970 *'' Potamocarcinus'' H. Milne-Edwards, 1853 *'' Prionothelphusa'' Rodríguez, 1980 *'' Pseudothelphusa'' Saussure, 1857 *'' Ptychophallus'' Smalley, 1964 *'' Raddaus'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Rodriguezus'' Campos & Magalhães, 2005 *'' Smalleyus'' Alvarez, 1989 *'' Spirothelphusa'' Pretzmann, 1965 *'' Strengeriana'' Pretzmann, 1971 *'' Tehuana'' Rodríguez & Smalley, 1969 *'' Typhlopseudothelphusa'' Rioja, 1952 *'' Villalobosius'' Ng & Low, 2010

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1061133, from2=Q15144491 Crabs Freshwater crustaceans of South America