About Potamon potamios (Olivier, 1804)
Levantine freshwater crabs, Potamon potamios, have an average leg span of 10 to 15 centimeters (4 to 6 inches), with males typically larger than females. Their carapace is slightly arched, smooth, and concave, and measures 5 to 7 cm (2 to 3 in) across. Their two claws are large and unequal in size, and their first gonopod is conical or slender. This crab species can be found in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Cyprus, Jordan, southern Turkey, the Sinai peninsula of Egypt, multiple islands in Greece including Crete, Karpathos, and Naxos, areas in Iraq near the Syrian border, and areas in Saudi Arabia near the Jordanian border. Its range covers multiple ecoregions: the Eastern Mediterranean conifer-broadleaf forests, the Aegean and Western Turkey sclerophyllous and mixed forests, and the Cyprus Mediterranean forests. This crab lives in a variety of environments, but it is most commonly found in streams, rivers, and lakes. It prefers areas with muddy substrates and rocks, where it can dig burrows and hide.
