Lars’s vampire crab, Geosesarma larsi Ng & Grinang, 2018 – of south Sarawak

A new species of highland vampire crab (Crustacea: Brachyura: Sesarmidae: Geosesarma) from Sarawak 

Abstract: A new species of semiterrestrial highland vampire crab of the family Sesarmidae, Geosesarma larsi n. sp., is described from western Sarawak. This brings the number of Bornean Geosesarma species to 12. Geosesarma larsi n. sp. is distinguished from congeners by the structures of the carapace, third maxilliped exopod and gonopods, as well as the proportions of its ambulatory legs. The colour pattern in life is also strikingly different from allied species. Notes on its ecology are provided and conservation threats briefly discussed.

Etymology: The species is named after Lars Fehlandt who first observed this species and helped the authors
get specimens.
Remarks: The purplish-red colour of Geosesarma larsi n. sp. is not known in any other congener in Borneo. Morphologically, G. larsi n. sp. belongs to a group in which the exopod of the third maxilliped has no trace of a flagellum, the G1 is relatively stout and short, and whose members often occur at higher altitudes (see Ng 2015,2017).