Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 20, 2026

Potamonautidae

Potamonautidae is a family of freshwater crabs endemic to Africa, including the islands of Madagascar, the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mafia, Pemba, Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe and Sherbro Island. Fossil remains dating from the Late Miocene period have been attributed to the family Potamonautidae.

Last revised
Jul 20, 2026
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Potamonautidae
Malagasy freshwater crab (Madagapotamon humberti), Ankarana Reserve, Madagascar
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Superfamily: Potamoidea
Family: Potamonautidae
Bott, 1970 1

Potamonautidae is a family of freshwater crabs endemic to Africa, including the islands of Madagascar, the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mafia, Pemba, Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe and Sherbro Island.2 Fossil remains dating from the Late Miocene period have been attributed to the family Potamonautidae.3

It comprises the following subfamilies and genera:1

Liberonautinae Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022
  • Buea Cumberlidge, Mvogo Ndongo, Clark & Daniels, 2019
  • Liberonautes Bott, 1955
  • Louisea Cumberlidge, 1994
  • Potamonemus Cumberlidge & Clark, 1992
  • Sudanonautes Bott, 1955
Potamonautinae, Bott, 1970
  • Acanthothelphusa Ortmann, 1897
  • Arcopotamonautes Bott, 1955
  • Erimetopus Rathbun, 1894
  • Longipotamonautes Bott, 1955
  • Maritimonautes Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022
  • Nesonautes Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022
  • Occidensonautes Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022
  • Platythelphusa A. Milne-Edwards, 1887
  • Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838
  • Rotundopotamonautes Bott, 1955
  • †Tanzanonautes Feldmann, O'Connor, Stevens, Gottfried, Roberts, Ngasala, Rasmusson & Kapilima, 2007
References

References

  1. Davie, Peter (15 December 2009). "Potamonautidae Bott, 1970". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  2. Cumberlidge, Neil (January 2008). "Insular species of Afrotropical freshwater crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamonautidae and Potamidae) with special reference to Madagascar and the Seychelles" (PDF). Contributions to Zoology. 77 (2): 71–81. doi:10.1163/18759866-07702003.
  3. Martin, Joel W.; Trautwein, Sandra (2003). "Fossil crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from Lothagam". In Leakey, Meave G.; Harris, John M. (eds.). Lothagam: The Dawn of Humanity in Eastern Africa (PDF). Columbia University Press. pp. 67–73. doi:10.7312/leak11870-005. ISBN 978-0-231-50760-8 – via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.