About Ghatiana atropurpurea Pati, Thackeray & Khaire, 2016
Ghatiana atropurpurea has a deep purple carapace that resembles the color of the Indian blackberry fruit. Its ambulatory legs are indigo or deep purple, while its chelipeds are light indigo. The surface of other remaining body parts, such as the claw, are light pink. This species was first recorded from two localities: Amboli, the type locality in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, and Hathipal in South Goa district, Goa, which lies approximately 110 km south of Amboli. There has also been one recorded sighting of the species from Amba Ghat in Kolhapur district, about 115 km north of Amboli. Later, the species was spotted in 2017 in the Sharavati valley in Shimoga, and it was found in Karwar in Uttara Kannada district in 2021. G. atropurpurea is partially arboreal, and is most often found associated with the Indian blackberry plant. Some individuals have been observed in tree holes that hold rain water, but none have been observed foraging on open ground leaf litter or on tree bark. In the Hathipal area, adult and sub-adult crabs occupy tree holes near ground level, while many juveniles gather under small boulders or forage on leaf litter. An adult female crab has also been recorded in a burrow under the crown of a large boulder, and a newly recruited crab was spotted adjacent to an ephemeral stream, where it had left a trail. G. atropurpurea does not achieve true phytotelmy. Individuals of this species are mainly seen during heavy or frequent rainfall, with or without fog, and can be active throughout the day. The feeding habits of G. atropurpurea are not precisely known. Local people in the Hathipal area report that the crabs feed on road-killed snails and millipedes. During a night field visit, an adult crab was found in a small pond containing tadpoles, which may also be a possible prey source for the species. The population size of G. atropurpurea appears to be larger at Hathipal than at Amboli.
