Scientists have discovered a new species of long legged, tree-dwelling crabs Kani maranjandu in Western Ghats of Kerala.
The new species named Kani maranjandu after the Kani tribe in Kerala, are substantially different from other congeners.
The characteristic traits of the crab include the structure of its hard upper shell.
Also different are the structure of its male abdominal structure and reproductive parts and diagnostic elongated walking legs, which no other genus displays.
This is the first report of its kind to offer a record of an arboreal crab - a species that lives in trees.
The survey of the freshwater crab fauna started in 2014 in the Westerns Ghats in Kerala.
As water holding hollows in large trees are essential for the survival of this unique species, the discovery also stress the need for conservation of large trees in the degraded forest ecosystems of the Western Ghats.
Western Ghats: Know More - Elevation: 2,695 m
- Area: 160,000 km2
- Highest point: Anamudi
- Passes: Tamhini Ghat, Naneghat, Palakkad Gap, Kasara ghat
- Types of rock: Basalt, Limestone
