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Scientific Name: Acanthopotamon martensi (Wood Mason, 1875)

Synonym: Paratelphusa martensi, potamon martensii (Currently unaccepted)

English Name: Spiny crab
Local/Bangla Name: Kakra(কাঁকড়া), Dudh Kakra( দুধ কাঁকড়া ) , Chimta kakra( চিমটা কাঁকড়া)
Crab : Acanthopotamon martensi

Photo: Rahman MA et all, 2008

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Potamidae
Description:
The carapace of this species is squarish and convex, featuring a smooth but uneven surface with some fin ripples near the postero-lateral edge. The frontal area is robust, and H-shaped gastric grooves are present on the carapace. Obliquely placed carinae are found on the outer epibranchial, meso-, and metabranchial regions. The antero-lateral sides of the carapace are equal to the well-defined posterolateral sides and are armed with three spines, excluding the blunt, angular outer orbital angle (Deb, 1999). The protogastric, epibranchial, metabranchial, metagastric, and cardiac regions are slightly swollen externally. The eye stock is moderate, and the outer margin of the orbit has a ‘U’ to ‘V’-shaped incision. In males, the 6th abdominal joint is twice as broad as it is long. The carpal process is acute and moderately large, with the outer margin of the carpus having two lobes. Pereiopods are long, thin, and laterally compressed, and the dactylus is long and styliform, with spinules along the dorsal and ventral margins. The chelipeds are markedly unequal in both sexes, usually having a smooth surface. The upper distal corner of the arm has a spine, and the inner corner of the wrist is present. The palp is shorter than the fingers, and the slender legs have hairy three distal joints. In terms of coloration, the dorsal surface of the carapace and cheliped ranges from greenish to grey. The ventral surface of the cheliped, pereiopod, and carapace is light-brown, while the abdomen is lighter in color.
Habitat & Distribution in Bangladesh:
They live on the bottom of a water body and abundant in shallow water bodies, such as beels, canals, etc during the summer. To escape from the dry season they construct burrows in clay soil, which they seal with mud. They create burrow closer to water level. The humid air trapped inside the burrows give crabs enough moisture to survive until the wet weather returns. Widely distributed in Bangladesh. Found in some freshwater habitats, such as rivers, beels, canals, lakes, etc. Besides it also found in different freshwater habitats in India, Myanmar. This species also commonly found in estuaries of Chakaria Sundarban area
Environment:
Freshwater
Main References:

Ahmed ATA, Kabir SMH, Ahmad M, Rahman AKA, Haque EU, Ahmed ZU, Begum ZNT, Hassan MA, Khondker M (2008) Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol. 18. Part II Arthropoda: Crustacea. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka 226 pp

DNA Barcodes from Bangladesh
GenBank Accession Number:
Other DNA Barcodes & Nucleutide Sequences
Global IUCN conservation status:
BD IUCN conservation status:
Other Information