Geograpsus severnsi
| Geograpsus severnsi Temporal range:
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| Holotype; scale bar is 10 mm | |
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| Species: | G. severnsi
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| Geograpsus severnsi Paulay & Starmer, 2011
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Geograpsus severnsi is an
land crab from Hawaii. It died out shortly after humans colonized the Hawaiian Islands
. It is the first known documented crab to become extinct after the ice age.
Distribution
Specimens of G. severnsi have been recovered from several of the Hawaiian
range appears to have overlapped with that of the more coastal G. crinipes, a species which is widespread across the Indo-Pacific.[1]
Description
Geograpsus severnsi was probably the largest species in the genus. Based on the size of
predator, possibly feeding on insects, land snails and bird's eggs.[2] Outside the genus Geograpsus, there are no truly terrestrial crabs in Hawaii; the only well documented species is Chiromantes obtusifrons, which may move up to 50 m (160 ft) inland, at elevations up to 10 m (33 ft).[1]
Systematics
G. severnsi is one of five species in the genus Geograpsus. Its closest relative appears to be G. grayi, a species found from the western Indian Ocean to the Line Islands and Marshall Islands.[1] G. severnsi has been known to Hawaiian zoologists since the mid-1970s, but was only formally described in 2011.[1] The specific epithet severnsi commemorates Mike Severns, the discoverer of the cave which housed most of the remains.[1]
References
- ^ PMID 21603620.
- ^ Richard Black (May 17, 2011). "Human arrival 'wiped out' Hawaii's unique crabs". BBC News. Retrieved May 18, 2011.