Insulamon palawanense

Insulamon palawanense, or the Palawan purple crab is a species of freshwater crab from the Philippines described in 2012.^[1][2] They are 2.5–5.3 centimetres (1.0–2.1 in) wide and are a striking purple colour.

Insulamon palawanense
Insulamon palawanense on a 2015 stamp of the Philippines
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Brachyura
Family:	Potamidae
Genus:	Insulamon
Species:	I. palawanense
Binomial name
Insulamon palawanense Freitag, 2012

History

The species was described by Hendrik Freitag of the Senckenberg Museum of Zoology in Dresden, Germany, having previously been included in a wider circumscription of I. unicorn.^[1] The species is endemic to the island of Palawan, where it has a wide distribution.^[2] The striking iridescent purple coloration may help the crabs to recognise others of its species,^[2] or may serve no purpose.^[3]