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Johora singaporensis (Ng, 1986)
| Family Name: | Potamidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Invertebrates (Crustacean, Crab and Prawn) |
| Common Name: | Singapore Freshwater Crab |
Name
Description
| Description | Carapace squarish, covered with short stiff hairs. Dirty brown in colour, with the ventral surfaces white to pale orange. |
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Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | Undisturbed primary hill forest streams, under rocks or leaf litter. Feed on plant detritus as welll as worms present in soft mud of the stream. They are mainly nocturnal. |
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| Habitats | Forest, Freshwater, Terrestrial |
| Distribution | Known only from Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and a very small population in some streamlets in Hillview and near Bukit Batok . The species is endemic to Singapore. |
| Nature Reserves | Bukit Timah Nature Reserve |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Loss of forest cover, habitat degradation and aquatic pollution. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | This species occurs only in Singapore. For half a century, it had been misidentified as an allied species, J. johorensis, and when first described, it was surprising that its true identity had remained hidden that long. It highlights one of the key issues with conserving organisms - unless their taxonomy is well understood, species conservation plans may not be effective at all. It also means that a better strategy to conserving biodiversity is to ensure sufficient areas of good, natural habitats are retained. |
| Conservation Notes | The continued conservation of Bukit Timah Hill and the associated stream systems in Jungle Fall Valley offers the only hope for survival of this species in Singapore. Because of its need for hill streams and pristine water, its survival is balanced on a knife’s edge. |
Status
| Species Status | Native |
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| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Endangered (EN) [2008], Endangered (E) [1994] |
Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp Ng, P.K.L. 1988. The freshwater crabs of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Singapore: Department of Zoology, NUS. 156pp Ng, P.K.L. & Wee, Y.C. (Eds.). 1994. The Singapore Red Data Book (1st Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 343pp |
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