Guinotia dentata, commonly known as cyrique,[3] is a West Indian species of freshwater crab in the family Pseudothelphusidae.[4] They have few predators.[5] They are easily caught[3] and thus are used locally as a food source.[6]
Guinotia dentata is almost oval in shape and the teeth on its carapace are very small. It is a yellow-brown colour and its shell can grow to 65 millimetres (2.6 in) long; it is about 3/5 long as wide.[3][6] The eyestalks are yellow whilst the corneas are black,[3] but they are probably best identifiable by their large yellow claws with straight sharply pointed fingers.[7]
The species sometimes has almost an entire dorsal surface of carapace yellow with submarginal brown.[8]
Its shell has a cervical meandering curve which does not quite touch the edge of the shell. About 24 cubicles are well defined. The forehead is low, excavated and depressed and of uniform height.[9] Its pereiopods are fairly average and its chelae are without prominent, swollen protuberance on outer surface near the base of the fingers.[8]
The species is native mostly to Dominica, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint Lucia.[10] Its distribution is fragmented because of its presence on multiple islands, but it is plentiful in the regions it inhabits.[10]
Guinotia dentata lives mostly in streams (particularly shady ones)[5] and ponds and may sometimes be seen on land, though it avoids areas that are excessively dry.[4] It has not yet been observed in estuaries.[5] It lives in streams and rives in the highlands of the Lesser Antilles, not including the Virgin Islands.[10][11] They are known to hide under roots of trees, rocks and rotten wood where they dig shallow burrows which are oval in shape.[6][12] They have been spotted at altitudes of 2,850 ft (870 m).[3] They certainly inhabit the Boeri Lake and may inhabit Freshwater Lake.[13]
The largest threat to the species is habitat destruction, and a protected area has been established on Dominica to conserve them.[10]
Reproduction takes place entirely in fresh water, and breeding takes place all year round; there does not seem to be a breeding season.[5] The young undergo direct development, hatching as juveniles, without passing through any larval stages. The females carry the eggs and protect the young[6] who stay with their mother for a period after hatching.[5]
Guinotia dentata is a mainly carnivorous (though partially herbivorous)[6] animal which sometimes also acts as a scavenger or detritivore.[5] It has been observed to eat minnows, prawns, and aquatic algae-like vegetation.[14]
Guinotia dentata was first described in 1825 by Pierre André Latreille.[2] The specific epithet dentata means "toothed" in Latin.[5] In 1965, Gerhard Pretzmann erected the genus Guinotia (a tribute to Danièle Guinot) and made Latreille's species the type species.[15]
Guinotia dentata, commonly known as cyrique, is a West Indian species of freshwater crab in the family Pseudothelphusidae. They have few predators. They are easily caught and thus are used locally as a food source.
