Dyspanopeus sayi

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Dyspanopeus sayi
Dyspanopeus sayi (YPM IZ 076972).jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Panopeidae
Genus: Dyspanopeus
Species:
D. sayi
Binomial name
Dyspanopeus sayi
(S. I. Smith, 1869)
Synonyms   [1]
  • Neopanope sayi(S. I. Smith, 1869)
  • Panopeus sayiS. I. Smith, 1869

Dyspanopeus sayi is a species of mud crab that is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also become established outside its native range, living in Swansea Docks since 1960, the Mediterranean Sea since the 1970s, the North Sea since 2007 and the Black Sea since 2010. It can reach a carapace width of 20 mm (0.8 in), and has black tips to its unequal claws. It feeds on bivalves and barnacles, and is in turn eaten by predators including the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus . Eggs are produced from spring to autumn, the offspring reach sexual maturity the following summer, and individuals can live for up to two years. The closest relative of D. sayi is D. texanus , which lives in the Gulf of Mexico; the two species differ in subtle features of the genitalia and the last pair of walking legs.

Contents

Description

Dyspanopeus sayi is a small crab, similar in appearance to Eurypanopeus depressus . [2] It reaches a maximum carapace width of 20 millimetres (0.8 in), with sexually mature females having a carapace 6.1 millimetres (0.24 in) or more across. [3] The carapace is roughly hexagonal, about 1.3–1.4 times as wide as long and strongly convex. [2] It has a finely granular surface, [4] and has a light covering of hair, especially towards the front and sides. [2] The chelae (claws) are unequal: the right claw is stouter, and the left claw is narrower. [4] The carapace is olive-green to brown, but the tips of the claws are black. [4]

Distribution

The natural range of D. sayi extends from the Baie des Chaleurs (eastern Canada) to the Florida Keys (south-eastern United States), [5] where it lives from the intertidal zone down to depths of 46 metres (151 ft). [6] It tolerates a wide range of temperatures and salinities. [6]

D. sayi has also been recorded from a number of locations in Europe. The first sighting was in Swansea Docks, South Wales (United Kingdom) in 1960, and the scientist who reported it, E. Naylor, believed there was "no doubt" that the species had arrived through trans-Atlantic shipping. [7] The first record from the Mediterranean Sea was made in 1993, when the species was discovered in the Venetian Lagoon (north-eastern Italy), [5] although it is thought to have been living there since the late 1970s. [4] In 2007, D. sayi was recorded from the North Sea coast of the Netherlands. [8] It was discovered in the Black Sea in 2010, living in Constanța harbour (Romania), [9] and in the Ebro delta of the Balearic Sea (western Mediterranean Sea) in 2012. [6]

Ecology

The bivalve mollusc Chamelea gallina is a food item for D. sayi in the Adriatic Sea. Chamelea gallina.jpg
The bivalve mollusc Chamelea gallina is a food item for D. sayi in the Adriatic Sea.

Dyspanopeus sayi lives predominantly on muddy bottoms, [2] where it is a predator of bivalve molluscs. [6] In its native environment, it hides among colonies of polychaetes to avoid being preyed on by the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus . [3] It is an important predator of the quahog, Mercenaria mercenaria , in Narragansett Bay, and of the barnacle Balanus improvisus in Delaware Bay. [2] In the Adriatic Sea, it has been observed to feed on the striped venus clam, Chamelea gallina , and the introduced Asian date mussel, Musculista senhousia . [10]

Life cycle

The life cycle of D. sayi begins with copulation, which normally takes place shortly after the female has moulted, while her exoskeleton is still soft. [11] Spawning occurs within hours or days of copulation, and the eggs are brooded on the female's pleopods (swimmerets) until they are ready to hatch. Females have been found carrying eggs from April to October; [2] in a study of crabs caught at Gloucester Point, Virginia in 1978, females were observed to carry between 686 and 14,735 eggs. The number of eggs increases with carapace width according to a power law; extrapolation of the power law suggests that the largest D. sayi females are capable of carrying over 32,000 eggs each. [11]

At 29 °C (84 °F), the eggs can take only 9 or 10 days to develop, and this increases to 16 days at temperatures of 20 °C (68 °F). [11] The young crabs hatch as zoea larvae, and pass through three further zoeal stages and one megalopa before becoming juveniles. [6] Juveniles are thought to reach maturity in the summer after they hatch. [2] The total lifespan of an individual can be up to 2 years. [3]

Taxonomy

A live D. sayi caught in the Kouchibouguac River in New Brunswick Dyspanopeus sayi.jpg
A live D. sayi caught in the Kouchibouguac River in New Brunswick

The species had been noticed by the American zoologist Thomas Say, and formed part of the species he called "Cancer panope" – a junior homonym of "Cancer panope" Herbst, 1801, [12] which is itself a junior synonym of Sphaerozius scaber (Fabricius, 1798). [13] In 1869, Sidney Irving Smith described seven new species in the genus Panopeus , including "P. sayi", in addition to the twelve species already placed in the genus at that time. [12] Common names for the species include "Say's mud crab" and "Say mud crab".

Smith noted the similarity of the species to "Panopeus texanus", which had been described ten years earlier by William Stimpson, and Smith considered that the two might be the same species. [12] In 1880, John Sterling Kingsley and Alphonse Milne-Edwards independently synonymised "P. sayi" with "P. texana", which remained until Mary J. Rathbun moved both taxa to the genus Neopanope and re-established Smith's taxon as a subspecies of "N. texana". [14] She argued that the two taxa should be considered subspecies, as hybrids between them occurred, although the specimens she saw are now thought to be D. sayi. [14]

In 1972, Lawrence G. Abele re-examined "N. texanus texanus", "N. texanus sayi" and N. packardi , and concluded that they were all good species, and so re-elevated "N. sayi" to the rank of species. [14] In 1986, Joel W. Martin and Abele placed N. texanus and N. sayi in a separate genus, Dyspanopeus , reaffirming their close relationship. [15] However, P. texana only occurs in the Gulf of Mexico, and can be distinguished from P. sayi by the form of the fifth pereiopod (last walking leg) and that of the male gonopod. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab</span> Crustacean

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have a single pair of pincers on each arm. They first appeared during the Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago.

<i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Species of crustacean

Callinectes sapidus, the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally.

<i>Cancer pagurus</i> Species of crustacean

Cancer pagurus, commonly known as the edible crab or brown crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval carapace with a characteristic "pie crust" edge and black tips to the claws. A mature adult may have a carapace width up to 25 centimetres and weigh up to 3 kilograms. C. pagurus is a nocturnal predator, targeting a range of molluscs and crustaceans. It is the subject of the largest crab fishery in Western Europe, centred on the coasts of the Ireland and Britain, with more than 60,000 tonnes caught annually.

<i>Pilumnus hirtellus</i> Species of crustacean

Pilumnus hirtellus, the bristly crab or hairy crab, is a species of European crab. It is less than 1 inch (25 mm) long and covered in hair. It lives in shallow water and feeds on carrion.

<i>Pisidia longicornis</i> Species of crustacean

Pisidia longicornis, the long-clawed porcelain crab, is a species of porcelain crab that lives in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean. It varies from reddish to white, and grows to a carapace width of 1 cm (0.4 in). It was first named by Carl Linnaeus in 1767, although the etymology remains unclear.

<i>Xantho hydrophilus</i> Species of crab

Xantho hydrophilus, the furrowed crab or Montagu's crab, is a species of crab from the family Xanthidae. It is yellowish-brown and grows to a carapace width of 70 mm (2.8 in). It is a nocturnal omnivore that lives in shallow marine waters from western Scotland to the Cape Verde Islands.

<i>Paromola cuvieri</i> Species of crab

Paromola cuvieri is a species of crab in the family Homolidae, the carrier crabs. It occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, from Angola to Norway, the Northern Isles and Iceland. It is demersal, occurring at depths of 10–1,212 metres (33–3,976 ft), but it is primarily found deeper than 80 m (260 ft). It prefers areas with mud and emerging rocks, and has been observed in deep-water coral gardens and sponge aggregations. It is locally common.

Calcinus tubularis is a species of hermit crab. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea and around islands in the Atlantic Ocean, where it lives below the intertidal zone. Its carapace, eyestalks and claws are marked with numerous red spots. C. tubularis and its sister species, C. verrilli, are the only hermit crabs known to show sexual dimorphism in shell choice, with males using normal marine gastropod shells, while females use shells of gastropods in the family Vermetidae, which are attached to rocks or other hard substrates.

<i>Neolithodes</i> Genus of king crab

Neolithodes is a genus of king crabs, in the family Lithodidae. They are found in all major oceans, both in high and low latitudes. Although there are records from water as shallow as 124 m (407 ft) in cold regions, most records are much deeper, typically 700–2,000 m (2,300–6,600 ft), with the deepest confirmed at 5,238 m (17,185 ft). They are fairly large to large crabs that typically are reddish in color and spiny, although the size of these spines varies depending on species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panopeidae</span> Family of crabs

The Panopeidae are a family containing 26 genera of morphologically similar crabs, often known as "mud crabs". Their centers of diversity are the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Dyspanopeus</i> Genus of crabs

Dyspanopeus is a genus of crabs in the family Panopeidae, comprising two species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crabs of the British Isles</span>

Around 65 species of crab occur in the waters of the British Isles. All are marine, with the exception of the introduced Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, which occurs in fresh and brackish water. They range in size from the deep-water species Paromola cuvieri, which can reach a claw span of 1.2 metres, to the pea crab, which is only 4 mm (0.16 in) wide and lives inside mussel shells.

<i>Planes minutus</i> Species of crab

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<i>Dyspanopeus texanus</i> Species of crab

Dyspanopeus texanus is a species of crab known as the Texas mud crab.

<i>Latreillia elegans</i> Species of crustacean

Latreillia elegans is a species of crab belonging to the family Latreilliidae. This family of crabs is identified by their appearance as small, long-legged crabs. The species belongs to the genus Latreillia which has only five identified species: L. elegans, L. metanesa, L. williamsi, L.valida, and L. pennifera. It was previously thought that L. elegans and L. mannengi were two separate species, but it has since been revealed that the two species are synonymous. All the thought to be differences between L. elegans and L. mannengi were in actuality overlaps. The L. mannengi is simply referring to the close relative to the species of L. elegans found in the western Atlantic.

<i>Loxothylacus panopaei</i> Species of barnacle

Loxothylacus panopaei is a species of barnacle in the family Sacculinidae. It is native to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It is a parasitic castrator of small mud crabs in the family Panopeidae, mostly in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

Panopeus lacustris, the knot-fingered mud crab, is a true crab belonging to the infraorder Brachyura. It can be distinguished from related species by its exceptionally broad and knobbly main chela (claw).

<i>Panopeus occidentalis</i> Furrowed mud crab

Panopeus occidentalis, the furrowed mud crab, is a true crab belonging to the infraorder Brachyura. It can grow up to 16.67 mm in width. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean, its range extending from North Carolina to Florida, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies, the Guianas and Brazil, as far south as the state of Santa Catarina. Its depth range is down to about 20 m (66 ft).

<i>Eurypanopeus depressus</i> Species of crab

Eurypanopeus depressus, the flatback mud crab or depressed mud crab, is a true crab belonging to the infraorder Brachyura and the family Panopeidae. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and is often found in estuaries and lagoons, commonly living in close association with oysters.

References

  1. ↑ Michael Türkay (2012). "Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Austin B. Williams (1965). "Marine decapod crustaceans of the Carolinas". Fishery Bulletin . 65 (1): 1–298.
  3. 1 2 3 Melany P. Puglisi (October 1, 2008). "Dyspanopeus sayi". Indian River Lagoon Species Directory. Smithsonian Institution . Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Panopeidae)" (in Italian). Museo di Storia Naturale di Venezia. Archived from the original on February 18, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  5. 1 2 Carlo Froglia; Simonetta Speranza (1993). "First record of Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869) in the Mediterranean Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Xanthidae)" (PDF). Quaderni dell'Istituto Ricerche Pesca Marittima. 5 (2): 163–166.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Christoph D. Schubart; Guillermo Guerao; Pere Abelló (2012). "First record and evidence of an established population of the North American mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Brachyura: Heterotremata: Panopeidae) in the western Mediterranean" (PDF). Scientia Marina . 76 (1): 79–85. doi: 10.3989/scimar.03361.16A . hdl: 10261/46263 .
  7. ↑ E. Naylor (1960). "A North American xanthoid crab new to Britain". Nature . 187 (4733): 256–257. Bibcode:1960Natur.187..256N. doi:10.1038/187256a0. S2CID   4164395.
  8. ↑ S. Vaz; R. ter Hofstede; J. Martin; J.-M. Dewarumez; Y. Verin; D. Le Roy; H. Heessen; N. Daan (2007). "Benthic invertebrates community structure inferred from bottom trawl hauls observations and its relationships to abiotic conditions in the southern North Sea" (PDF). Structure and dynamics of the benthos in ICES waters. ICES Technical Report CM 2007/A: 03.
  9. ↑ Dragoș Micu; Victor Nițǎ; Valentina Todorova (2010). "First record of Say's mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Brachyura: Xanthoidea: Panopeidae) from the Black Sea" (PDF). Marine Biodiversity Records . 3: e36. doi:10.1017/S1755267210000308. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
  10. ↑ Michele Mistri (2004). "Predatory behavior and preference of a successful invader, the mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Panopeidae), on its bivalve prey". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology . 312 (2): 385–398. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.07.012.
  11. 1 2 3 Richard C. Swartz (1978). "Reproductive and molt cycles in the xanthid crab, Neopanope sayi (Smith, 1869)". Crustaceana . 34 (1): 15–32. doi:10.1163/156854078x00529. JSTOR   20103245.
  12. 1 2 3 Smith, S.I. (1869). "Notes on new of little known species of American cancroid Crustacea". Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History . 12: 274–289.
  13. ↑ DecaNet (2024). "Cancer panope Herbst, 1801". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 Abele, Lawrence G. (1972). "A reevaluation of the Neopanope texana–sayi complex with notes on N. packardii (Crustacea: Decapoda: Xanthidae) in the Northwestern Atlantic". Chesapeake Science . 13 (4): 263–271. doi:10.2307/1351110. JSTOR   1351110.
  15. ↑ Martin, Joel W. & Abele, Lawrence G. (1986). "Notes on male pleopod morphology in the brachyuran crab family Panopeidae Ortmann, 1893, sensu Guinot (1978) (Decapoda)" (PDF). Crustaceana . 50 (2): 182–198. doi:10.1163/156854086x00205. JSTOR   20104136.
  16. ↑ Harriet Perry & Kirsten Larsen (April 24, 2004). "Dyspanopeus texana (Stimpson, 1859) = Neopanope texana, Gulf grassflat crab" (PDF). Picture Guide to Shelf Invertebrates of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission . Retrieved February 9, 2012.
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