''Karstarma'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

-dwelling

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

s formerly included in '' Sesarmoides''.

Description

''Karstarma'' is distinguished from the closely related '' Sesarmoides'' by the lack of a

stridulatory Stridulation is the act of producing sound by rubbing together certain body parts. This behavior is mostly associated with insects, but other animals are known to do this as well, such as a number of species of fish, snakes and spiders. The mech ...

structure on the

cheliped A chela ()also called a claw, nipper, or pinceris a pincer-shaped organ at the end of certain limbs of some arthropods. The name comes from Ancient Greek , through Neo-Latin '. The plural form is chelae. Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds ...

which is present in the latter genus.

Ecology & biogeography

All species in the genus ''Karstarma'' are typically found in

anchialine pool An anchialine system (, from Greek ''ankhialos'' 'near the sea') is a landlocked body of water with a subterranean connection to the ocean. Depending on its formation, these systems can exist in one of two primary forms: pools or caves. The primary ...

s across the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

Taxonomy

The genus name ''Karstarma'' is derived from the word ''

'', in arbitrary combination with the genus name '' Sesarma''. It has been frequently misspelt ''Karstama'', including in the original description. In the original description of the genus, 12 species were included. Three species have since been added. A new species, ''K. vulcan'', was also described from

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

in 2018; this species is unique from all others as it is found in the western Indian Ocean rather than the eastern Indian or Pacific Oceans.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18581545 Sesarmidae Crustaceans described in 2007 Taxa named by Peter Kee Lin Ng