{{Short description|Family of crabs}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Malagasy freshwater crab (Madagapotamon humberti) Ankarana.jpg | image_caption = Malagasy freshwater crab (''Madagapotamon humberti''), Ankarana Reserve, Madagascar | taxon = Potamonautidae | authority = Bott, 1970 <ref name="WoRMS" /> }}
'''Potamonautidae''' is a family of freshwater crabs endemic to Africa, including the islands of Madagascar, the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Mafia, Pemba, Bioko, São Tomé, Príncipe and Sherbro Island.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cumberlidge |first=Neil |title=Insular species of Afrotropical freshwater crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Potamonautidae and Potamidae) with special reference to Madagascar and the Seychelles |journal=Contributions to Zoology |volume=77 |issue=2 |pages=71–81 |date=January 2008 |doi=10.1163/18759866-07702003 |doi-access=free|url=https://repository.naturalis.nl/pub/280474/7702a03.pdf }}</ref> Fossil remains dating from the Late Miocene period have been attributed to the family Potamonautidae.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://research.nhm.org/pdfs/11722/11722.pdf |chapter=Fossil crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) from Lothagam |last=Martin |first=Joel W. |last2=Trautwein |first2=Sandra |year=2003 |editor-last=Leakey |editor-first=Meave G. |editor2-last=Harris |editor2-first=John M. |title=Lothagam: The Dawn of Humanity in Eastern Africa |publisher=Columbia University Press |pages=67–73 |isbn=978-0-231-50760-8 |doi=10.7312/leak11870-005 |via=the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County}}</ref>
It comprises the following subfamilies and genera:<ref name="WoRMS">{{cite WoRMS|last=Davie|first=Peter|date=15 December 2009|title=Potamonautidae Bott, 1970|id=439083|access-date=15 January 2024}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=21em}} Liberonautinae {{small|Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022}}{{Linked genus list | ''Buea'' | Cumberlidge, Mvogo Ndongo, Clark & Daniels, 2019 | Liberonautes | Bott, 1955 | Louisea | Cumberlidge, 1994 | Potamonemus | Cumberlidge & Clark, 1992 | Sudanonautes | Bott, 1955 }} Potamonautinae, {{small|Bott, 1970}}{{Linked genus list | Acanthothelphusa | Ortmann, 1897 | Arcopotamonautes | Bott, 1955 | Erimetopus | Rathbun, 1894 | Longipotamonautes | Bott, 1955 | Maritimonautes | Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022 | Nesonautes | Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022 | Occidensonautes | Cumberlidge & Daniels, 2022 | Platythelphusa | A. Milne-Edwards, 1887 | Potamonautes | MacLeay, 1838 | Rotundopotamonautes | Bott, 1955 | † Tanzanonautes | Feldmann, O'Connor, Stevens, Gottfried, Roberts, Ngasala, Rasmusson & Kapilima, 2007 }} {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
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Category:Potamoidea Category:Freshwater crustaceans of Africa Category:Decapod families
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