Vanni travancorica

Vanni travancorica (Henderson, 1913) [Travancore forest crab] (Figs. 14, 15) Paratelphusa (Liotelphusa) malabarica var. travancorica Henderson, 1913: 47, fig. 2. Vanni travancorica – Bahir & Yeo 2007: 338, figs. 31, 32.—Pati et al. 2014: 658, pl. 2 figs. 1–3, pl. 3 figs. 16–18.— Rajesh et al. 2017: 146, fig. 30.—Pati 2020: 162 (list).— Pati & Pradhan 2020: 555836 (list).— Sruthi & Thirunavukkarasu 2022: 461 (list). Vanni “ travancoriana ” [sic]– Klaus et al. 2014: 658, table S1 (list). Not Travancoriana malabarica – Bott 1970b: 42 (part). Material examined. India– Kerala State: 7 males (CW 7.9–21.1 mm, CL 6.9–16.5 mm, CH 3.5–10.2 mm, FW 3.1– 6.9 mm), 3 females (CW 10.5–11.7 mm, CL 8.7–9.9 mm, CH 5.2–5.6 mm, FW 4.0– 4.2 mm) (ZSI-WRC C.1877), Kollam District, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Pondimotta, 8.828° N, 77.217° E, elev. 1235 m a.s.l., coll. Md. Jafer Palot et al., 23 January 2019; 7 males (CW 13.9 –22.0 mm, CL 10.9–16.3 mm, CH 6.6–10.0 mm, FW 5.1–7.3 mm), 5 females (CW 13.9–21.7 mm, CL 10.1–16.7 mm, CH 6.1–9.9 mm, FW 5.3–7.5 mm) (ZSI-WRC C.1874), Kollam District, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Rockwood Estate, 8.870° N, 77.115° E, elev. 627 m a.s.l., coll. Md. Jafer Palot et al., 24 January 2019; 2 males (CW 12.9 mm each, CL 10.0– 10.3 mm, CH 5.8–6.3 mm, FW 4.7– 4.8 mm), 2 females (CW 9.2–13.5 mm, CL 7.4–10.9 mm, CH 4.3–6.6 mm, FW 3.6–5.0 mm) (ZSI-WRC C.1888), Kollam District, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kattilapara, 8.915° N, 77.110° E, elev. 190 m a.s.l., coll. Md. Jafer Palot et al., 21 January 2019; 2 males (CW 16.2–19.2 mm, CL 12.4–14.1 mm, CH 7.5–8.8 mm, FW 5.9–6.6 mm), 2 females (CW 17.9 –18.0 mm, CL 13.5–13.7 mm, CH 8.1–8.6 mm, FW 6.2 mm each) (ZSI-WGRC IR/INV/9143), Kollam District, Rosemala, 8.91845° N, 77.17440° E, elev. 355 m a.s.l., coll. K. Rajmohana, 18 December 2015; 4 males (CW 14.0– 19.4 mm, CL 11.4–14.4 mm, CH 6.5–8.9 mm, FW 5.4–6.9 mm), 2 females (CW 14.7–15.4 mm, CL 11.8–12.3 mm, CH 6.6–7.4 mm, FW 5.7 mm each) (ZSI-WGRC IR/INV/9146), Thiruvananthapuram District, Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Vayavanthol, 8.67452° N, 77.16330° E, elev. 340 m a.s.l., coll. K. Rajmohana, 14 December 2015; 3 males (CW 13.4–17.8 mm, CL 10.5–13.5 mm, CH 6.1–8.4 mm, FW 5.1–6.1 mm), female (CW 14.3 mm, CL 11.1 mm, CH 6.3 mm, FW 5.2 mm) (ZSI-WRC C.1879), Thiruvananthapuram District, near Ponmudi, Seethakundu, 8.772° N, 77.108° E, elev. 1032 m a.s.l., coll. Md. Jafer Palot et al., 18 January 2019. Diagnosis. Medium sized crabs (maximum CW 22.6 mm). Carapace relatively broad (CW/CL = ca. 1.2–1.4), relatively low (CH /CW = ca. 0.4–0.5) (Fig. 14A, B); external orbital angle triangular, with short outer margin, ca. 2.5 times length of inner margin (Fig. 14A); epibranchial tooth indiscernible (Fig. 14A); male sternopleonal cavity reaching to imaginary line joining anterior part of cheliped coxae (Fig. 14C); male pleonal somite 6 subquadrate, relatively narrower, appearing elongated, proximal width ca. 1.1 times medial length, as long as telson, with strongly concave lateral margins (Fig. 14C, E); male telson relatively more narrow, medial length ca. 1.3 times proximal width (Fig. 14C, E); G1 relatively stouter (Fig. 15A, B); G1 ultimate article relatively slenderer, straight, relatively shorter, ca. 0.2 times length of penultimate article (Fig. 15A, B); G1 penultimate article with distal portion conspicuously narrow than basal portion, outer margin gently sinuous, basally straight (Fig. 15A, B); G2 longer than G1, ca. 1.2 times G1 length, ultimate article long, ca. 0.4 times length of penultimate article (Fig. 15C); vulvae subovate, relatively large, occupying ca. 0.5 times length of s6, located clearly away from s5/s6 (Fig. 14F). Remarks. Vanni travancorica was described by Henderson (1913) as a new variety of Paratelphusa (Liotelphusa) malabarica. Roux (1931), however, recognised the variety as a distinct species, Paratelphusa (Barytelphusa) travancorica. Bott (1970a) included the species in Travancoriana. Both Roux (1931) and Bott (1970a) supposedly examined the specimens of Santanusus malabaricus (Henderson, 1912) comb. nov., not V. travancorica (see remarks for S. malabaricus comb. nov.). Bott (1970b) changed his mind later and considered the species a junior subjective synonym of Travancoriana malabarica (Henderson, 1912). The figures in Bott (1970b: pl. 5 figs. 45–47, pl. 26 fig. 22) suggest that the species was actually S. malabaricus comb. nov. (see remarks for S. malabaricus comb. nov.), while it also includes the male syntype of V. travancorica from the NHM. Subsequently, Bahir & Yeo (2007) removed the species from the synonym of Travancoriana malabarica and treated it as a valid taxon and the type species for their new genus, Vanni. Pati & Sharma (2011, 2014) erroneously reported the species from the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka as evident from their figures (Pati & Sharma 2014: 30, fig. 6A–G), and the fact that the said locality (Jog-Honnavar road) is far away (approximately 665 km) from the type locality of V. travancorica (i.e., Ponmudi); it is likely that their specimens belong to an unknown species of Vanni. Vanni travancorica is unique among known congeners in having a relatively more narrow male telson, with the medial length ca. 1.3 times the proximal width (Fig. 14C, E) (versus male telson relatively less narrow, with the medial length ca. 1.0–1.1 times the proximal width; Figs. 16C, H, 18D, G, 20D, G); in having a conspicuously narrow distal portion of the G1 penultimate article as compared to its basal portion (Fig. 15A, B) (versus G1 penultimate article with the distal portion relatively less narrow than the basal portion; Figs. 17A, B, 18H, I, 19A, B, 20H, I, 21A, B); and in having the vulvae located clearly away from the s5/s6 (Fig. 14F) (versus vulvae located relatively close to s5/s6; Figs. 16J, 18K, 20K). Vanni travancorica can be further distinguished from V. deepta and V. gracilis sp. nov. mainly by virtue of its relatively shorter G1 ultimate article, ca. 0.2 times the length of the penultimate article (Fig. 15A) (versus G1 ultimate article relatively long, ca. 0.3 times the length of the penultimate article; Figs. 17A, 18H, 19A) and by the basally straight outer margin of the G1 penultimate article (Fig. 15A, B) (versus G1 penultimate article with the basally concave to strongly concave outer margin; Figs. 17A, B, 18H, I, 19A, B); and from V. ashini by virtue of its indiscernible epibranchial tooth (Figs. 14A) (versus epibranchial tooth low but discernible; Fig. 20A, B, E) and by the relatively slenderer G1 ultimate article (Fig. 15A, B) (versus G1 ultimate article relatively stouter; Figs. 20H, I, 21A, B). Ecological notes. Vanni travancorica prefers to inhabit shady areas and was reported to dwell in shallow burrows in wet soil, underneath small stones and under leaf litters adjacent to small streams, and under stones and logs in wet soil (Bahir & Yeo 2007; Rajesh et al. 2017). The species was also reported to be very common at the type locality (Rajesh et al. 2017). The species can occupy both lower and higher elevations (100–1235 m a.s.l.) of the Western Ghats (cf. Bahir & Yeo 2007; present study). Geographical distribution. Vanni travancorica is currently found in the southern Western Ghats of Kerala (Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts), southern India (Bahir & Yeo 2007; Rajesh et al. 2017; present study) (Fig. 1B).