Clinothelphusa kakoota
Encyclopedia
Clinothelphusa kakoota is a species of crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...

 in the family Parathelphusidae
Parathelphusidae
Parathelphusidae is a family of freshwater crabs mainly in Southeast Asia. Their closest living relatives are the Gecarcinucidae.The Parathelphusidae inhabit rivers, lakes and rice paddies. Some species, for example from the genus Somanniathelphusa, are locally important as food, particularly in...

, which is endemic to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s, subtropical or tropical swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...

s, and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

s. It is threatened by habitat loss, and is listed as a critically endangered species on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...

. It is known from a single site with an area of less than 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi). Its nearest relatives are another Sri Lankan endemic genus of crabs, Ceylonthelphusa
Ceylonthelphusa
Ceylonthelphusa is a genus of freshwater crabs endemic to Sri Lanka, where they live in moist lowland forests, swamps and rivers. Many of the species are on the IUCN Red List of threatened species, with the greatest risk factor begin habitat loss...

.
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