Freshwater Crabs - CoEB Natural History Museum

https://rwandabiodiversity.net/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=18Freshwater Crabs - CoEB Natural History MuseumRwanda Biodiversity Specimenmichaelbthomas@gmail.comhttps://rwandabiodiversity.net/index.phpRwanda Biodiversity Specimenmichaelbthomas@gmail.comhttps://rwandabiodiversity.net/index.php2026-04-10engFreshwater crabs of Rwanda are an understudied and an undercollected group. Rwanda is home to a few species of freshwater crabs, primarily belonging to the family Potamonautidae, which is the dominant family of freshwater crabs in Africa. The most well-known species found in Rwanda include: Potamonautes loveni, Potamonautes aloysiisabaudiae, Potamonautes obesus, Potamonautes niloticus, Potamonautes lirrangensis, and Potamonautes emini. These species of freshwater crabs are crucial to the health of Rwanda's aquatic ecosystems, contributing to the balance of the food web and the overall biodiversity of the region. However, many of these species are under pressure from habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, making their conservation an important priority.IUCN Redlist ChecklistFreshwater Crabs - CoEB Natural History Museum25 078 857-6052herbariumNHR@gmail.comhttps://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=facwork_bookchaptersP. O. Box 117HuyeSouthern ProvinceRwandaThomasMichaelherbariumNHR@gmail.comBiodiversity Collections Data ManagercontentProviderTo the extent possible under law, the publisher has waived all rights to these data and has dedicated them to the 2026-04-10T03:13:00-07:00Rwanda Biodiversity Specimen - d82ad291-b224-4d55-84f7-f397f2891b7cUTF-8Darwin Core Archivehttps://rwandabiodiversity.net/collections/misc/collprofiles.php?collid=18URNHM-FcFreshwater Crabs - CoEB Natural History Museumhttp://rwandabiodiversity.net/content/collicon/urnhmam.pnghttps://commons.nmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=facwork_bookchaptershttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/University of RwandaThomasMichaelherbariumNHR@gmail.comBiodiversity Collections Data ManagerFreshwater crabs of Rwanda are an understudied and an undercollected group. Rwanda is home to a few species of freshwater crabs, primarily belonging to the family Potamonautidae, which is the dominant family of freshwater crabs in Africa. The most well-known species found in Rwanda include: <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44531/124300805">Potamonautes loveni</a>, <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44200/10868674">Potamonautes aloysiisabaudiae</a>, <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44202/114989669">Potamonautes obesus</a>, <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44535/84352721">Potamonautes niloticus</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potamonautes_lirrangensis">Potamonautes lirrangensis</a>, and <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/44523/84352263">Potamonautes emini.</a> These species of freshwater crabs are crucial to the health of Rwanda's aquatic ecosystems, contributing to the balance of the food web and the overall biodiversity of the region. However, many of these species are under pressure from habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change, making their conservation an important priority. <a href="https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?permalink=e9134442-f2af-429e-9c23-bdaa4bad90c5">IUCN Redlist Checklist</a>