First documented record of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 from the southwestern Mediterranean coasts

What is it about?

A previous record of the alien crab Callinectes sapidus on the Algerian coasts was based on a photograph provided by a fisherman showing the dorsal side of a single individual. In this contribution, we confirm this presence in the mouth of Mafragh estuary at the east of Algeria where four individuals of this species were found on November 19th 2019. The specimens examined are one female (60 mm CL, 125.9 g) and three males (60 – 66 mm CL, 120.4 – 176.8 g). This discovery confirms the presence of this species in the south-western Mediterranean basin where it could become invasive.

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