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18:32, 03-Sep-2017
Biologists discover new freshwater crab species in the Philippines
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Biologists from the Philippines have claimed to have discovered a new species of freshwater crab in a lake in Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines, local news media has reported.
Jose C.E. Mendoza, one of the scientists behind the discovery, told GMA News Online that the newly discovered species have been found by accident in Seloton village, Lake Sebu in South Cotabato Province.
"My co-author purchased it from a vendor who was selling crabs and freshwater fish for food," he said, referring to Emerson Y. Sy.
The Sundathelphusa miguelito./ Photo courtesy of Jose C. E. Mendoza
The Sundathelphusa miguelito./ Photo courtesy of Jose C. E. Mendoza
Mendoza works as a lecturer at the National University of Singapore, while his co-author Sy is based in the Philippine Center for Terrestrial and Aquatic Research (PCTAR).
"Vendors and markets, especially in remote or understudied area, are one of the first places we look when we survey the biodiversity of those areas... how do people interact with or utilize this biodiversity?" Mendoza said.
He said the new crab species is named Sundathelphusa miguelito in honor of Türkay who is a scientist affiliated with the Senckenberg Museum and Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany.
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency