Tree-dwelling crab species Kani maranjadu found in Kerala

Scientists from the University of Kerala have discovered a new species of long-legged, tree-dwelling crabs named Kani maranjandu in Western Ghats of Kerala.
It has been named after the Kani tribe in Kerala and are substantially different from other congeners (organisms within the same genus).

Key Facts

• Kani maranjandu is the first crab species of its kind to offer a record of an arboreal crab (species that lives in trees).
• Characteristic traits: Its upper shell is hard, its male abdominal structure and reproductive parts and diagnostic elongated walking legs (no other genus has).

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2017