Revalidation and redescription of Potamon elbursi Pretzmann, 1976 (Brachyura, Potamidae) from Iran, based on morphology and genetics

Abstract

Abstract In the current study, we redescribe and revalidate a freshwater crab species of the genus Potamon Savigny, 1816, from northern Iran. Potamon elbursi Pretzmann, 1962, differs from the species it has been synonymised with, Potamon persicum Pretzmann, 1962, mainly by the shape of the first gonopods in males. Consistent and marked genetic divergence was also recognised in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I genes. This study elevates P. elbursi to species rank and therefore increases the number of valid species of the genus Potamon to a total of twenty-two.