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Qatar University ESC Discovered A New Species Of Crab

Coleusia janani, a species of crap discovered by researchers at Qatar University

A research team from the Environmental Science Center at Qatar University have discovered a previously unknown species of crab.

During an exploration trip investigating the marine biodiversity in Qatar’s waters, a team of researchers from Qatar University discovered a previously unknown species of crab. The team was from the Marine Biology Cluster at the Qatar University Environmental Science Center, and were investigating the marine benthic biodiversity within the Qatar Marine Zone onboard the research vessel Janan.

The new crab, which has never been collected or identified anywhere else on earth, was named “Coleusia janani”.

All together, the tiny decapod crustacean measures only 13.6 millimetres and lives on the gravel and mud covered ocean floor, habitats similar to oyster reefs.

The Coleusia janani stands out with distinct features, like its bright orange and grey shell that has two pairs of orange/red outlined circles on each side. Its tiny legs and claws are white, and have orange lines across them.

Dr Ibrahim Abdullatif Al-Maslamani, the ESC’s Marine Operations and Logistics Manager, believes that “the discovery of Coleusia janani within the Arabian Gulf should trigger a revision of the Leucosiidae family of crabs in the region,” according to QU.

He adds that “this discovery underlines the gap in the taxonomic descriptions of the marine benthic environment and its associated species within the Qatar Marine Zone”.

If anything, this discovery proves that there’s a lot more to discover on this plant, especially in the depths of its oceans.

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