About Somanniathelphusa zanklon Ng & Dudgeon, 1992
Somanniathelphusa zanklon is an endangered freshwater crab species that is endemic to Hong Kong. It prefers to live in slow-moving streams or lowland marshes, and was originally described from specimens collected from the lower Lam Tsuen River and the So Kwun Wat area of Hong Kong. This species has been found to tolerate organic pollution, and can also be found in irrigation ditches around Hong Kong's New Territories. The lifecycle of S. zanklon matches that of most true freshwater crabs: adults brood planktonic larvae, and release their juveniles when the rainy season begins. It is naturally omnivorous; there are records of it eating seeds from the Bauhinia variegata tree, as well as multiple species of freshwater snails. It is preyed on by native wild carp, and also by invasive goldfish and tilapia, which humans introduced into the crab's habitat.
