National Parks of Taiwan

There are more than 60 species of land crabs in Taiwan, of which about 50 species are found in Kenting. This figure is still rising continuously with the support of the postgraduate research project subsidies provided by Kenting National Park Headquarters. Most land crabs are terrestrial; in the past, only two species in Taiwan have been found to be truly arboreal. Three years ago, Li Zheng-yu, a PhD candidate at National Zhongshan University, discovered an arboreal Parasesarma land crab in the canal thickets around Gangkou Creek and Baoli Creek.

After three years of large-scale specimen examination and research, these two were identified to be new species that had not been described or named. They have been named "Parasesarma kui" and "Parasesarma macaco” respectively. These two new crab species, which specialize in tree climbing, have increased the number of arboreal land crabs in Taiwan to four species, serving as a testament to the diversity of land crabs and their habitats in Kenting. Preliminary research results have also been published in the international academic journal "Zootaxa".