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Callinectes - Species in
Portunidae - - Classification / Names -
- Portunidae
- Decapoda
- Malacostraca
- Chordata
- Animalia
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Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896
Blue crab| Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050 |
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| This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed. |
| Callinectes sapidus AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS |
Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS
Malacostraca | Decapoda | Portunidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Benthopelagic; freshwater; brackish; depth range 0 - 90 m (Ref. 109245), usually 0 - 35 m (Ref. 367). Tropical; 6°C - 30°C (Ref. 105839), preferred 25°C (Ref. 107945); 47°N - 36°S, 125°W - 34°W
Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions
Western Atlantic: From Nova Scotia to Rio de la Plata, Argentina. Introduced in the eastern Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Black Sea and Indo-Pacific. Tropical to temperate.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm 12.8, range 13 - 13 cm Max length : 22.7 cm WD male/unsexed; (Ref. 367); max. reported age: 3.00 years (Ref. 105839)
Short description Morphology
Carapace more than twice as broad as long; 9 blunt to acuminate teeth (outer orbital tooth and strong lateral spine included) on arched anterolateral margin; front (excluding inner orbital angles) bearing 2 obtuse to acuminate, broadly triangular teeth with often sinuous inner margins longer than outer margins. Much of convex dorsal surface smooth, but scattered and transverse lines of fine granules; sculpture of regions near center varying from low and smooth to rather sharply raised relief with crowded granules; pincers strong, dissimilar, and ridged longitudinally; fifth legs flattened in form of paddles. Males with T-shaped abdomen level of thoracic sternite 4; slender first pleopods with membranous tip reaching beyond suture between thoracic sternites 4 and 5; sinuously curved overlapping proximally and armed distally with a row of large and small retrogressive spinules. Color: greyish, bluish, or brownish green. Males with propodi of chelae blue on inner and white on outer surfaces, fingers blue on inner and white on outer surfaces and tipped with red. Mature females with orange fingers on chelae tipped with purple. Underparts off-white with tints of yellow and pink. Color variations is associated with sexual dimorphism and molt cycle.
An epibenthic omnivore, that is active and abundant in shallow habitats (Ref. 087949). Longevity was estimated from a population of blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay (Ref. 105839).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the order Decapoda are mostly gonochoric. Mating behavior: Precopulatory courtship ritual is common (through olfactory and tactile cues); usually indirect sperm transfer.
Main reference
References | Coordinator | Collaborators
Tavares, M. 2003. (Ref. 367)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
CMS (Ref. 116361)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Aquaculture: production; Fisheries: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us
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Trophic Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Life cycle
Human Related
Aquaculture profile
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Outreach
References
Internet sources
BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Fisheries: species profile; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | 1 GoMexSI (interaction data) | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref. 115969): 12.3 - 28, mean 24.4 (based on 788 cells).
Resilience
(Ref. 69278):
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (K=0.5-1.59; tmax=3).
Prior r = 0.89, 95% CL = 0.59 - 1.34, Based on 2 full stock assessments.
Nutrients : Calcium = 109 [35, 184] mg/100g; Iron = 1.59 [1.21, 1.97] mg/100g; Protein = 20.2 [19.2, 21.3] %; Omega3 = 0.285 [0.185, 0.386] g/100g; Selenium = 48.3 [-31.7, 128.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 1.79 [1.17, 2.40] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.