The invasive Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 expands its distributional range southward to Atlantic African shores: first records along the Atlantic coast of Morocco

Chaouti, Abdellatif; Belattmania, Zahira; Nadri, Amal; Serrao, Ester; Encarnação, João; Teodosio, Maria; Reani, Abdeltif; Sabour, Brahim

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/17844

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Abstract(s)

The occurrence of the exotic Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae) is reported for the first time from the Moroccan Atlantic coast. Working with local fishermen, we gathered 160 records of the Atlantic blue crab from several estuarine, coastal and marine areas, in the period between June and August 2021. These new records confirm its establishment in the Atlantic coasts of North Africa, suggesting a southern range expansion. These findings, likely exacerbated by growing populations along the Atlantic coast of Morocco and temperate coastal waters, provide new insights into the invasion dynamics of this species in the northeast Atlantic Ocean.