Vietnam reports 2 new crab species

Vietnam has detected two new species of freshwater crabs in its northern region, the country's Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources said on Monday.

One new species Indochinamon chuahuong has been spotted in Vietnam's well-known Buddhism pilgrim site, Huong Pagoda, in Hanoi, and another Tiwaripotamon pluviosum found in boundaries of northern Vietnam and southern China.

Indochinamon chuahuong can be distinguished from all other Indochinamon species by a suite of characters, including a carapace broader than long; an anterolateral margin that is convex and distinctly serrated; longer ambulatory legs than its congeners; and the terminal segment of the male's first gonopod being curved outwards, with a very low dorsal flap.

Tiwaripotamon pluviosum can be distinguished from other species by a suite of morphological characters, including a relatively flat carapace, relatively less slender legs, and distinct dorsal flaps on the male's first gonopod.

Molecular data have supported these two species as being new, said the institute under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. Endit