Ceylonthelphusa
Encyclopedia
Ceylonthelphusa is a genus
of freshwater crab
s endemic to Sri Lanka
, where they live in moist lowland forest
s, swamp
s and river
s. Many of the species are on the IUCN Red List
of threatened species, with the greatest risk factor begin habitat loss
. Ceylonthelphusa contains the following species:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of freshwater crab
Freshwater crab
There are around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs which release thousands of planktonic larvae. This limits...
s endemic to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, where they live in moist lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s, swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s. Many of the species are on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
of threatened species, with the greatest risk factor begin habitat loss
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
. Ceylonthelphusa contains the following species:
- Ceylonthelphusa alpina Bahir & Ng, 2005
- Ceylonthelphusa armata (Ng, 1995)
- Ceylonthelphusa austrina (Alcock, 1909)
- Ceylonthelphusa callista (Ng, 1995)
- Ceylonthelphusa cavatrix (Bahir, 1998)
- Ceylonthelphusa diva Bahir & Ng, 2005
- Ceylonthelphusa durrelli Bahir & Ng, 2005
- Ceylonthelphusa kandambyi Bahir, 1999
- Ceylonthelphusa kotagama (Bahir, 1998)
- Ceylonthelphusa nana Bahir, 1999
- Ceylonthelphusa nata Ng & Tay, 2001
- Ceylonthelphusa orthos Ng & Tay, 2001
- Ceylonthelphusa rugosa (Kingsley, 1880)
- Ceylonthelphusa sanguinea (Ng, 1995)
- Ceylonthelphusa savitriae Bahir & Ng, 2005
- Ceylonthelphusa sentosa Bahir, 1999
- Ceylonthelphusa soror (Zehntner, 1894)
- Ceylonthelphusa venusta (Ng, 1995)