Taipei - A species of rare land crab has been spotted in Taiwan, marking the third time in world history that this type of species has been observed by scientists, a newspaper said on Sunday.

The sesarmid crab, named labuanium trapezoideum, was spotted in the Kenting National Park in south Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported.

The park's biologists said that the species was first spotted on Andaman Island, Indonesia, in 1837 and biologists did not find another such crab until 166 years later.

In 2003, a group of biologists found several labuanium trapezoideum crabs in Taitung County, southeast Taiwan, and made detailed records of their biological and behavioral characteristics, which was later published in the science journal Crustaceana.

Since 2003, however, no other habitats of labuanium trapezoideum crabs had been found in Taiwan.

Last month, an amateur ecologist at the Kenting National Park reported seeing and photographed a "strange" crab, which was later identified as a labuanium trapezoideum crab. Park biologists said the finding indicates the species still exists, and there may be a new habitat inside the national park, the newspaper reported. (dpa)