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Volume 17
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10.3390/d17100689
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Article

Marine Crabs from African Waters Housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)—An Opportunity for Biogeographic and Systematic Studies—Part II: Thoracotremata

by
Isabel Muñoz
1,
José Enrique García-Raso
2,
Begoña Sánchez
3 and
Jose A. Cuesta
4,*
1
Centro Oceanográfico de Cádiz (IEO-CSIC), Puerto Pesquero, Muelle de Levante, s/n, 11006 Cádiz, Spain
2
Departamento de Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos s/n, 29071 Málaga, Spain
3
Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, 28006 Madrid, Spain
4
Instituto de Ciencias Marinas de Andalucía (ICMAN-CSIC), República Saharaui, 2, Puerto Real, 11519 Cádiz, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2025, 17(10), 689; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100689
Submission received: 27 August 2025 / Revised: 27 September 2025 / Accepted: 28 September 2025 / Published: 1 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Marine Diversity)
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Abstract

Zoological collections are essential for preserving regional biodiversity but often lack taxonomic updates, risking data loss. This work supposes the continuation of a review of the African marine crabs housed at the Crustacean collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN) in Madrid. Part I, Heterotremata, revealed that only 21.9% of the specimens were correctly identified. In this new study focused on Thoracotremata species, 197 specimens (59 records) were reviewed, and this new study reveals similar results to Part I: 22.9% of the reviewed specimens were previously correctly identified (less than 29% when considering records), meaning that around 77.2% of the African Thoracotremata specimens housed in the MNCN were either misidentified or not identified at all. This highlights the importance of the taxonomic reviews made by specialists of specimens housed in both historical and non-historical scientific collections. This time we have used DNA barcodes (16S and COI) to confirm identifications or to add new molecular data to species without previous DNA sequences known. DNA sequences (16S and/or COI) were obtained for seven species. It has been a challenge to obtain sequences from specimens preserved 60 to 200 years ago.
Keywords: crab biodiversity; Decapoda; zoological collections; taxonomy crab biodiversity; Decapoda; zoological collections; taxonomy

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MDPI and ACS Style

Muñoz, I.; García-Raso, J.E.; Sánchez, B.; Cuesta, J.A. Marine Crabs from African Waters Housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)—An Opportunity for Biogeographic and Systematic Studies—Part II: Thoracotremata. Diversity 2025, 17, 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100689

AMA Style

Muñoz I, García-Raso JE, Sánchez B, Cuesta JA. Marine Crabs from African Waters Housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)—An Opportunity for Biogeographic and Systematic Studies—Part II: Thoracotremata. Diversity. 2025; 17(10):689. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100689

Chicago/Turabian Style

Muñoz, Isabel, José Enrique García-Raso, Begoña Sánchez, and Jose A. Cuesta. 2025. "Marine Crabs from African Waters Housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)—An Opportunity for Biogeographic and Systematic Studies—Part II: Thoracotremata" Diversity 17, no. 10: 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100689

APA Style

Muñoz, I., García-Raso, J. E., Sánchez, B., & Cuesta, J. A. (2025). Marine Crabs from African Waters Housed in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC)—An Opportunity for Biogeographic and Systematic Studies—Part II: Thoracotremata. Diversity, 17(10), 689. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100689

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