Mangaluru: A rare purple crab was seen in Western Ghats area of Uttara Kannada Recently District
Dr. MS Mustak, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, said that his PhD student Supreet KadkoliThe rare crab, spotted purple, when it was traveling from the ghat section to the beach. He said that the crab was suffering on the road.
“Six mature crabs were seen on roadsides and under rocks around terrestrial habitats, and according to the literature these freshwater purple crabs are found only during the rainy season. The color of the crabs surprised even the locals present there. Preliminary studies and morphometric analysis have shown that the purple crab belongs to the genus Ghatiana. We are yet to ascertain whether it is a new species for which molecular taxonomic analysis is being carried out in the laboratory,” said Dr. Mustak.
A purple tree crab was first observed by Arjun Kamdar and team in July 2015 from a hole in a tree containing rainwater in Amboli, Maharashtra. It was later seen in the Sharavati valley of Shivamogga in 2017. It was then spotted by the Wildlife Conservation and Awareness Team. “This species looks different from other species that have been previously reported,” Dr Mustak said.
Dr. MS Mustak, Department of Applied Zoology, Mangalore University, said that his PhD student Supreet KadkoliThe rare crab, spotted purple, when it was traveling from the ghat section to the beach. He said that the crab was suffering on the road.
“Six mature crabs were seen on roadsides and under rocks around terrestrial habitats, and according to the literature these freshwater purple crabs are found only during the rainy season. The color of the crabs surprised even the locals present there. Preliminary studies and morphometric analysis have shown that the purple crab belongs to the genus Ghatiana. We are yet to ascertain whether it is a new species for which molecular taxonomic analysis is being carried out in the laboratory,” said Dr. Mustak.
A purple tree crab was first observed by Arjun Kamdar and team in July 2015 from a hole in a tree containing rainwater in Amboli, Maharashtra. It was later seen in the Sharavati valley of Shivamogga in 2017. It was then spotted by the Wildlife Conservation and Awareness Team. “This species looks different from other species that have been previously reported,” Dr Mustak said.
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