Sundathelphusa prosperidad, sp. N. (decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae), a new cave-obligate freshwater crab from mindanao island, the philippines, with notes on the conservation status of philippine cave species

Abstract

A new species of cave-obligate freshwater crab of the genus Sundathelphusa Bott, 1969 (Gecarcinucidae) from Agu-san del Sur, Philippines is described. The new species is morphologically close to S. hades Takeda and Ng, 2001 but distinctly differs in the shape of carapace and gonopods. Although the new species is found close to the type locality of S. hades, the morphological features are distinct and their habitats are separated by an extension of the Philippine fault-line and Oligocene-Miocene volcanic deposits. Six Sundathelphusa species having true troglobiomorphic characters are now recorded from caves in the Philippine archipelago.