Potamoidea
Encyclopedia
Potamoidea is a superfamily of freshwater crab
s, comprising the two families Potamidae
and Potamonautidae
. Two previously recognised families, Deckeniidae and Platythelphusidae, are now treated as parts of the family Potamonautidae.
Freshwater crab
There are around 1,300 species of freshwater crabs, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics, divided among eight families. They show direct development and maternal care of a small number of offspring, in contrast to marine crabs which release thousands of planktonic larvae. This limits...
s, comprising the two families Potamidae
Potamidae
Potamidae is a family of freshwater crabs. Its more than 650 species and nearly 100 genera are divided into two subfamilies — Potaminae around the Mediterranean Sea, on Socotra and eastwards to Northern India, and Potamiscinae in East Asia....
and Potamonautidae
Potamonautidae
Potamonautidae is a family of freshwater crabs endemic to tropical parts of Africa and adjacent islands, including Madagascar, the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mafia, Pemba, Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe and Sherbro Island. It comprises 18 extant genera and 138 extant species...
. Two previously recognised families, Deckeniidae and Platythelphusidae, are now treated as parts of the family Potamonautidae.