Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) researcher discovers new mangrove crab species Chhapgarus ngankeeae along India’s west coast.

Exam-focused facts from the 24 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Chhapgarus ngankeeae, a new marine crab species, was identified from preserved specimens collected in Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Sameer Kumar Pati of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) found the species by re-examining crabs previously misidentified as Pseudograpsus intermedius.
The holotype was collected from beneath a stone in the muddy backwaters of the Galgibag River in Goa.
The crab measures about 1.6 cm across its squarish, brown, hairy shell and has a uniquely V-shaped constriction on the hard tip of the male first gonopod.
The species name honours the late marine biologist Dr Ngan Kee Ng of the National University of Singapore for her contributions to brachyuran crab taxonomy.