Redescription of Potamonautes sidneyi (Rathbun, 1904) (Decapoda, Potamonautidae) and description of a new congeneric species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

• Published in: ZooKeys Vol. 657; no. 657; pp. 1 - 28
• Main Authors: Peer, Nasreen, Gouws, Gavin, Lazo-Wasem, Eric, Perissinotto, Renzo, Miranda, Nelson A F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 01-01-2017
• Subjects: Brachyura; Distribution; Identification and classification; Mitochondria; Morphology; Natural history; New species; Physical characteristics; Zoology; South Africa; Brachyura; KwaZulu-Natal; freshwater; Taxonomy; morphometrics
• ISSN: 1313-2989; 1313-2970
• DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.657.11623

A new species of freshwater crab,
, is described from the southern region of the KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa.
most closely resembles
which is re-described here, but can be distinguished by a suite of key morphological characters including carapace shape and width, slim pereopods, inflated propodi of the chelipeds, and the shape and terminal segment length:subterminal segment length ratio of the 1
gonopod. In a previous study (Gouws et al. 2015), a 9.2-11.8 % divergence was found in the mitochondrial COI and 16S genes of the
clade, allowing for the delineation of a new species. Despite the clear molecular distinction between the two species, it is difficult to separate them based on individual morphological characters, as there is a great deal of overlap even among key features. The new species is found in slow-moving mountain streams and pools at high altitudes between Umhlanga and Mtamvuna, in KwaZulu-Natal.