A new species of freshwater crab of the genus Himalayapotamon Pretzmann 1966 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamidae) from Jammu and Kashmir, Northern India

A new species of potamid freshwater crab of the genus Himalayapotamon Pretzmann 1966 is described here on the basis of several specimens collected from different localities in Poonch district, in Jammu province of Jammu and Kashmir, India. The new species Himalayapotamon jammuense can be differentiated from its congeners by a suite of carapace (i.e., postorbital cristae) and gonopod (first and second) characters. In addition, molecular evidences derived from two mitochondrial gene (16s rRNA and cox1) and one nuclear gene (28s rRNA) supported the morphological findings. Genetically, H. jammuense is sister to clade containing H. robertsianum (Pakistan) and H. koolooense (Punjab) which are found in close proximity to Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover, genetic distance inferred for the gene 16s rRNA significantly support the species described in the study as a new species.