Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
MtDNA lineage diversity of a potamonautid freshwater crab in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Submitted: 29 May 2015 | Published: 17 November 2015
About the author(s)
Gavin Gouws, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Grahamstown, South AfricaNasreen Peer, Department of Science and Technology, National Research Foundation Research Chair for Shallow Water Ecosystems, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa
Renzo Perissinotto, Department of Science and Technology, National Research Foundation Research Chair for Shallow Water Ecosystems, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa
Abstract
Five species of freshwater crab (genus Potamonautes) are known from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, whilst a sixth (Potamonautes isimangaliso) was recently described from the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Earlier molecular studies of crab diversity in the province were largely limited in geographic scope or employed genetic markers, ill-suited for identifying intraspecific diversity. Possible species-level diversity or cryptic taxa may have thus remained undetected. In this study, lineage diversity was examined in a widespread species, Potamonautes sidneyi, using mitochondrial sequence data, to determine whether this species harbours cryptic diversity that could be of conservation importance in the province, particularly with respect to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. The taxonomic status of P. isimangaliso was also assessed. Mitochondrial sequence data were generated and analysed to identify unique lineages and to examine their distributions. Phylogenetic analyses were used to determine whether these lineages represented known or potentially novel species, using comparative data from southern African Potamonautes species. Seven independent networks were identified within P. sidneyi and substantial structure was observed amongst sampling localities. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two distinct, divergent lineages in P. sidneyi. One was positively assigned to P. sidneyi, whereas the placement of the other suggested a novel species. These results suggested possible species diversity within P. sidneyi, with one lineage occurring in the north-east of the province, around the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Potamonautes isimangaliso was clearly allied to Potamonautes lividus, but genetic divergences suggested that P. isimangaliso is a distinct taxon and that P. lividus may represent a species complex.
Conservation implications: This study confirmed unique freshwater crab diversity, both within KwaZulu-Natal and associated with the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 5223Total article views: 9605
Crossref Citations
1. Mind the gap: DNA barcoding as a tool to delineate evolutionary units in Afrotropical freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamoidea: Deckeniidae and Potamonautidae)
Savel R Daniels, Hannes J Marais, Miguel da Fonseca, Nasreen Peer
Journal of Crustacean Biology vol: 45 issue: 4 year: 2025
doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruaf061
2. Hiding in the hills: evidence for two novel mountain-dwelling freshwater crabs of Potamonautes (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamonautidae) from South Africa
Kayleigh Mengel, Savel R Daniels
Journal of Crustacean Biology vol: 44 issue: 2 year: 2024
doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruae026
3. Two new species of freshwater crabs of the genus Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamonautidae) from the forests of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Savel R Daniels, Theo Busschau, Neil Cumberlidge
Journal of Crustacean Biology vol: 39 issue: 4 first page: 426 year: 2019
doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruz024
4. Phylogeographic structure and continued surveys of a Vulnerable South African freshwater crab (Potamonautidae, Potamonautes lividus): Implications for the IUCN Red Listing of the Afrotropical fauna
Savel Regan Daniels, Nicola C. James, Gavin Gouws
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems vol: 30 issue: 12 first page: 2221 year: 2020
doi: 10.1002/aqc.3449
5. Redescription of Potamonautes sidneyi (Rathbun, 1904) (Decapoda, Potamonautidae) and description of a new congeneric species from KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Nasreen Peer, Gavin Gouws, Eric Lazo-Wasem, Renzo Perissinotto, Nelson A.F. Miranda
ZooKeys vol: 657 first page: 1 year: 2017
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.657.11623
6. Differentiation of three common deep-water hermit crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Parapaguridae) from the South African demersal abundance surveys, including the description of a new species of Paragiopagurus Lemaitre, 1996
Jannes Landschoff, Rafael Lemaitre
ZooKeys vol: 676 first page: 21 year: 2017
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.676.12987
7. Description of a new montane freshwater crab (Arthropoda, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Potamonautidae) from the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Nasreen Peer, Gavin Gouws, Lazola Maliwa, Nigel Barker, Paul Juby, Renzo Perissinotto
ZooKeys vol: 1160 first page: 89 year: 2023
doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1160.100844
8. Development and characterization of a microsatellite library for the freshwater crab Potamonautes danielsi Peer, Gouws, Lazo-Wasem, Perissinotto & Miranda, 2017 (Brachyura: Potamonautidae) and its transferability across three congeneric species
Gavin Gouws, Savel R Daniels, Angus H MacDonald, Albert Chakona, Nigel P Barker
Journal of Crustacean Biology year: 2018
doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruy081
9. DNA barcoding as a tool to facilitate the taxonomy of hermit crabs (Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea)
Jannes Landschoff, Gavin Gouws
Journal of Crustacean Biology vol: 38 issue: 6 first page: 780 year: 2018
doi: 10.1093/jcbiol/ruy084
10. Climatic oscillations during the Mio/Pliocene epochs induced cladogenesis in the terrestrial snail genus Gittenedouardia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cerastidae) from South Africa
Evelyn M. Raphalo, Mary L. Cole, Savel R. Daniels
Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution vol: 155 first page: 107000 year: 2021
doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2020.107000
11. Surveys of Afrotemperate forests yields two new freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: Potamonautes MacLeay, 1838) from South Africa
Savel R Daniels, Aaron Barnes, Hannes Marais, Gavin Gouws
European Journal of Taxonomy vol: 782 first page: 82 year: 2021
doi: 10.5852/ejt.2021.782.1591
12. A new multilocus phylogeny reveals overlooked diversity in African freshwater crabs (Brachyura: Potamoidea): a major revision with new higher taxa and genera
Neil Cumberlidge FLS, Savel R Daniels
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society vol: 194 issue: 4 first page: 1268 year: 2022
doi: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab082
13. Genomic Insights Into Species Delimitation and the Evolutionary History of Mimetic Aletis Moths (Lepidoptera, Geometridae) in the Afrotropics
Kyung Min Lee, Hermann Staude, Sille Holm, Elina Laiho, Leidys Murillo‐Ramos, Øystein H. Opedal, Hossein Rajaei, Reinier F. Terblanche, Magda Botha, Pasi Sihvonen
Ecology and Evolution vol: 15 issue: 12 year: 2025
doi: 10.1002/ece3.72745
14. Exploring the phylogeography of a hexaploid freshwater fish by RAD sequencing
Cora Sabriel Stobie, Carel J. Oosthuizen, Michael J. Cunningham, Paulette Bloomer
Ecology and Evolution vol: 8 issue: 4 first page: 2326 year: 2018
doi: 10.1002/ece3.3821
15. Generalist species exhibit more genetic structure in comparison to a habitat specialist: Evidence from a phylogeographic study of two freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Potamonautidae: Potamonautes), implications for habitat conservation
Petrus C. J. Grobler, Savel R. Daniels
Ecology and Evolution vol: 14 issue: 9 year: 2024
doi: 10.1002/ece3.70285