Guinotia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Guinotia dentata |
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Pseudothelphusidae
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Guinotia
Pretzmann, 1965
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G. dentata
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| Guinotia dentata (Latreille, 1825)
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The Guinotia dentata is a type of freshwater crab. It's the only species in its group, called Guinotia. People in the West Indies often call it the cyrique. These crabs don't have many animals that hunt them. They are easy to catch, so people in the local areas sometimes eat them.
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What Does the Guinotia Dentata Look Like?
The Guinotia dentata crab has an almost oval body shape. Its carapace, which is like its main shell, has very tiny teeth. This crab is usually a yellow-brown color. Its hard shell can grow up to 65 millimetres (2.6 in) (about 2.5 inches) long. The shell is about three-fifths as long as it is wide.
The crab's eyestalks are yellow, and its eyes (called corneas) are black. You can probably tell this crab apart by its big yellow claws. These claws have straight, sharply pointed "fingers." Sometimes, the top of its shell is almost entirely yellow. It might have brown areas near the edges.
Its shell has a curvy line that doesn't quite reach the edge. The front part of its head is low and a bit sunken. Its legs are pretty normal-sized. The claws do not have big, swollen bumps near where the fingers start.
Where Do Guinotia Dentata Crabs Live?
This crab mostly lives in the islands of Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Saint Lucia. Because it lives on different islands, its population is spread out. However, there are many of them in the places they inhabit.
Guinotia dentata crabs mostly live in streams and ponds. They especially like shady areas. You might sometimes see them on land, but they avoid very dry places. They haven't been seen in estuaries, which are where rivers meet the sea. They live in streams and rivers in the high areas of the Lesser Antilles islands. This does not include the Virgin Islands.
These crabs are known to hide under tree roots, rocks, and rotten wood. They dig shallow, oval-shaped burrows there. They have been found at high places, up to 2,850 ft (870 m) (about 869 meters) above sea level. They definitely live in Boeri Lake and might also live in Freshwater Lake.
The biggest danger to these crabs is when their homes are destroyed. Because of this, a special protected area has been set up in Dominica to help keep them safe.
How Do Guinotia Dentata Crabs Reproduce?
Reproduction for these crabs happens entirely in fresh water. They can breed all year round, so there isn't a specific breeding season. The young crabs develop directly. This means they hatch as tiny juveniles that look like small versions of the adults. They don't go through different larval stages like some other crabs.
Female crabs carry their eggs and protect their young. The young crabs stay with their mother for a while after they hatch.
What Do Guinotia Dentata Crabs Eat?
The Guinotia dentata crab is mainly a meat-eater. However, it also eats some plants, making it partly herbivorous. It sometimes acts as a scavenger, eating dead things, or a detritivore, eating decaying matter.
These crabs have been seen eating small fish like minnows and prawns. They also eat aquatic plants that look like algae.
The Name of the Guinotia Dentata Crab
The Guinotia dentata crab was first described in 1825 by a scientist named Pierre André Latreille. The second part of its name, dentata, comes from a Latin word meaning "toothed."
Later, in 1965, another scientist named Gerhard Pretzmann created the group (genus) called Guinotia. He named it to honor Danièle Guinot. He then made Latreille's crab species the main example for this new group.
 | Claudette Colvin |
 | Myrlie Evers-Williams |
 | Alberta Odell Jones |
