Neoepilobocera gertraudae is a species of cave-dwelling crab

Crab

True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

 from Cuba

Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

.

Classification

The species was first described by Gerhard Pretzmann as Epilobocera gertraudae in 1965. N. gertraudae is classified in the family Pseudothelphusidae

Pseudothelphusidae

Pseudothelphusidae is a family of freshwater crabs found chiefly in mountain streams in the Neotropics. They are believed to have originated in the Greater Antilles and then crossed to Central America via a Pliocene land bridge.-Parasitology:...

, and is the only species in the genus Neoepilobocera. It is considered by some authorities to be synonymous

Synonym (taxonomy)

In scientific nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that is or was used for a taxon of organisms that also goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnaeus was the first to give a scientific name to the Norway spruce, which he called Pinus abies...

 with the widespread Epilobocera cubensis.

Distribution

It is only found in karst

KARST

Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...

ic caves in Viñales

Viñales

This article is about the town. For the adjacent UNESCO world heritage site, see Viñales Valley. Viñales is a small town and municipality in the north-central Pinar del Rio Province of Cuba....

 and nearby parts of Pinar del Río Province

Pinar del Río Province

Pinar del Río is one of the provinces of Cuba. It is at the western end of the island of Cuba.-Geography:The Pinar del Río province is Cuba's westernmost province and contains one of Cuba's three main mountain ranges, the Cordillera de Guaniguanico, divided into the easterly Sierra del Rosario and...

, Cuba.

Description

Neoepilobocera gertraudae differs from the other 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 of Cuba, all in the genus Epilobocera

Epilobocera

Epilobocera is a genus of crabs in the family Pseudothelphusidae, containing the following species:* Epilobocera armata Smith, 1870* Epilobocera capolongoi Pretzmann, 2000* Epilobocera cubensis Stimpson, 1860...

, by its longer legs and paler coloration, both of which are adaptation

Adaptation

An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....

s to living in caves

Troglobite

Troglobites are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglobite species include spiders, insects, fish and others. They live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglobite adaptations and characteristics include a heightened...

. It is smaller than Epilobocera, reaching a carapace

Carapace

A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...

length of only 31 millimetres (1.2 in), and with a flattened body.