''Karstarma'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

-dwelling

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all th ...

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-like organ at the end of certain limbs of some arthropods. The name comes from Ancient Greek , through New 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 (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island o ...

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. *''Karstarma ardea'' Wowor & Ng, 2009 *''Karstarma balicum'' (Ng, 2002) *''Karstarma boholano'' (Ng, 2002) *''Karstarma cerberus'' (Holthuis, 1946) *''Karstarma emdi'' (Ng & Whitten, 1995) *''Karstarma guamense'' (Ng, 2002) *''Karstarma jacksoni'' (Balss, 1934) *''Karstarma jacobsoni'' (Ihle, 1912) *''Karstarma loyalty'' (Ng, 2002) *''Karstarma microphthalmus'' (Naruse & Ng, 2007) *''Karstarma novabritannia'' (Ng, 1988) *''Karstarma philippinarum'' Husana ''et al.'', 2010 *''Karstarma sulu'' (Ng, 2002) *''Karstarma ultrapes'' (Ng, Guinot & Iliffe, 1994) *''Karstarma waigeo'' Wowor & Ng, 2009 *'' Karstarma vulcan'' Poupin, Crestey & Le Guelte, 2018

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18581545 Grapsoidea Crustaceans described in 2007