Using molecular tools to establish the type locality and distribution of the endemic Taiwanese freshwater crab Geothelphusa chiui minei, 1974 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Potamidae), with notes on the genetic diversity of Geothelphusa from eastern Taiwan

Abstract

The potamid freshwater crab genus Geothelphusa reaches its highest diversity in Taiwan, and since the last major revision in 1994, substantial progress has been made in confirming the identities of the various species. Despite those efforts, the validity of the type locality of G. chiui Minei, 1974, from Nanpu, Hsinchu, northwestern Taiwan, has remained doubtful because repeated efforts to establish its presence at its type locality have been unsuccessful. DNA sequences of the holotype and paratype of G. chiui show that this taxon belongs to a subclade the members of which are found in southern Hualien County in eastern Taiwan, and that it is the sister species of G. cinerea Shy, Ng and Yu 1994, from central Hualien County. This study confirms that the stated type locality of G. chiui is incorrect, and it is accordingly revised herein.