Parental care in freshwater crabs Maydelliathelphusa masoniana and Himalayapotamon emphysetum inhabiting streams of Jammu region, J&K, India.

Parental care is a most important strategy in freshwater crabs so as to ensure the survival of the offspring. In the present studies parental care in the freshwater crabs Maydelliathelphusa masoniana and Himalayapotamon emphysetum has been recorded. Females of species M. masoniana were caught in the Gho-manhasan while H. emphysetum at Jajjar stream, having eggs underneath their abdomen. They were kept in the laboratory and hatching time of eggs recorded to be 36 and 44 days in M. masoniana and H. emphysetum respectively in the laboratory. The females of both the species retained the crablets underneath their abdomen for 12 days, after which crablets left the mother. In M. masoniana, the number of crablets recorded were 108 as compared to 88 in case of H. emphysetum. Mean size of crablets in both the cases was found to be 3.2 ± 0.10 mm. Parental care was observed to be con?ned to females only as males did not play any role for the protection of brood.