Description
Eriocheir sinensis was described by Henri Milne Edwards in 1853 (Clark 2006).
Species Description- Crabs of the genus Eriocheir are easily recognized as adults and juveniles by the dense patches of setae (bristles or hairs) on their claws, which are responsible for the name "Mitten Crab". Both males and females have hairy claws, but the patches cover more of the claws in the males. The tips of the claws are white, and the claws are roughly equal in size. The carapace is slightly broader than it is long, and is roughly rectangular, with 4 teeth on its front margin. There is a frontal notch between the eyes. However, there is considerable variability in the frontal margin, which has led taxonomists to name spurious varieties (Guo et al. 1997; Rudnick et al. 2000). Legs are about twice as long as the carapace width, and in adults, the outer segments are lined with long hairs (Guo et al. 1997; Rudnick et al. 2000). In California, adults of E. sinensis reach 80 mm in carapace width (Rudnick et al. 2000). In crabs bigger than 10 mm, sexes can be distinguished by the shape of the abdomen, rounded in females, arrow and triangular in males (Rudnick et al. 2000).
Distinctive features of E. sinensis include a strongly domed carapace, with a strongly raised area over the stomach (progastric crest), which is lacking in E. japonica. The frontal teeth are sharper, with deeper divisions between them than those of E. japonica. and the anterior-lateral teeth are more sharply defined in the former species.
Family- Until recently, Eriocheir sinensis was placed in the family Grapsidiae. A molecular study of the family has found strong genetic divergences which support raising subfamilies to family status, within the superfamily Grapsoidea. The subfamily Varunidae now is treated as a full family and includes the genera Eriocheir, Hemigrapsus, and Cyclograpsus (Clark 2006, Integrated Taxonomic Information System 2006).
Synonymy, Potentially misidentified species- The taxonomy of the Mitten crabs of the genus Eriocheir is unresolved. Two species, E. leptognathus and E. formosa are definitely distinct, but may belong in a new genus, Neoeriocheir (Guo et al. 1997). Three other species, E. sinensis, E. japonica and E. hepuensis have been synonymized by some authors. However, E. sinensis and E. japonica have perceived morphological and behavioral differences, while E. hepuensis appears intermediate between the two forms (Guo et al. 1997; Jensen and Armstrong 2004). Eriocheir sinensis occurs in northern China and Korea, while E. japonica occurs in Japan, Taiwan, southeast Korea, and southern China, and E. hepuensis is confined to southern China (Guo et al. 1997). San Francisco Bay and European introduced populations have been identified as E. sinensis (Guo et al. 1997), but a single specimen collected in the Columbia River, in 1997, appears to be E. japonica (Jensen and Armstrong 2004). Tang et al. (2003) have analyzed nuclear DNA internal transcribed sequences (ITS) and divided the genus Eriocheir into 3 groups, Neoeriocheir leptognatha Panjin, E recta Zujiang (including E. formosa Hualien as a junior synonym), and E. japonica (including japonica, sinensis, and hepuensis as subspecies). Another molecular analysis, by Chu et al. (2003) argues for keeping keeping all the mitten crab species in a single genus.
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family | Genus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animalia | Crustacea | Malacostraca | Decapoda | Varunidae | Eriocheir |
Synonyms
Invasion History
Chesapeake Bay Status
| First Record | Population | Range | Introduction | Residency | Source Region | Native Region | Vectors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Unknown | Unknown | Introduced | Regular Resident | Unknown | Western Pacific | Shipping(Ballast Water); Fisheries (Fisheries-Intentional; Fisheries-Accidental) |
History of Spread
Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese Mitten Crab) is a catadromous crab, which spawns in estuaries of northern China and Korea. The planktonic larvae require salinities of 15-30 ppt for successful development to the megalopa stage, and show their best survival at 25 ppt Megalopae show a preference for intermediate salinities of 15-25 ppt, and tend to seek bottom waters, resulting in upstream transport (Anger 1991). Juvenile crabs seek out freshwater and migrate up rivers, up to 1000 km upstream while growing to adult size. Time to maturation ranges from 1 to 3 years in China and 3-5 years in Europe (Herborg et al. 2005). Adult crabs are tolerant of a wide range of salinities and temperatures, growing actively at temperatures from 7 to 30 C (Anger 1991; Rudnick et al. 2000). Adult crabs migrate downstream for spawning (in Europe in late fall), the males first, followed by the females. Not all crabs may migrate upstream- some may stay in brackish water (Rudnick et al. 2000).
The estuarine breeding habitat, long planktonic larval stage, wide environmental tolerances, and long-distance migrations of the Chinese Mitten Crab all seem to have contributed to its success as an invader. Eriocheir sinensis was first collected outside its native range in the Aller River, Germany, a North Sea tributary, and soon spread to the nearby Elbe River. No further range expansions was reported until 1927, but from 1927 to 1954, the crab spread rapidly westward along the North Sea and English Channel coast, reaching St. Malo, Normandy, France in 1954, but also, in 1954, appearing in the Gironde and Loire estuaries, on the Bay of Biscay. By 1958, it was collected at Hendaye, France, on the border with Spain (Herborg et al. 2005). By 1999, it reached the Tagus River, Portugal (Cabral and Costa 1999). The Chinese Mitten Crab also spread rapidly to the East, reaching Vyborg at the head of the Gulf of Finland by 1933 and Gaevle, Sweden, in the lower Gulf of Bothnia by 1934. Peak rates of spread in European waters exceeded 500 km/year, but over longer periods, more typically averaged 100-200 km/year (Herborg et al. 2005). Aside for a couple of individual captures in 1935 and 1949, the establishment and spread of E. sinensis in the British Isle began in the river Thames in 1973. The crab continues to spread, reaching the Tyne River, Yorkshire (North Sea Coast) and the Irish Sea coast (Wales) by 2001. Canals have enabled E. sinensis to move between river systems inland, as well as along the coast (Herborg et al. 2005).
Canal systems and ballast water transport have enabled Eriocheir sinensis to reach outlying bodies of water in Eurasia, including rivers and lakes in landlocked countries such as the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary (Herborg et al. 2003). In 1960, several specimens of this crab were found in Mediterranean lagoons in the vicinity of Narbonne, France. The crabs had probably reached the Mediterranean by the Canal du Midi. However, this population did not become established (Galil et al. 2002). In 1998, E. sinensis was collected in the Gulf of Odessa, on the Black Sea, where a population is now established and has been collected from inland sites in the Volga River basin, and in the Sea of Azov (Murina and Antonovsky 2001; Gomiou et al. 2002). A specimen has also been collected from a freshwater river near the Caspian Sea, in Iran, in 2001 (Robbins et al. 2006). Another single specimen was collected from a brackish canal feeding into the Persian Gulf, in Basra, Iraq (Clark et al. 2006b). Chinese Mitten Crabs are now regularly caught in the Archangel Bay, of the White Sea (Berger and Naumov 2002). Canals connecting to the Baltic are a likely vector for the Black, White Sea, and Caspian Sea populations, but the Iraq specimen was probably a ballast water introduction. Two specimens collected in Tokyo Harbor in 2004 represent a probable introduction of E. sinensis to Japan from China (Takeda and Koziumi 2005), either by ballast water, or as a fisheries-related release.
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River- The first North American specimens of Eriocheir sinensis were caught in the Great Lakes, beginning in 1965, when a crab was found in a water-intake pipe on the Detroit River, at Windsor, Ontario In 1973, three more specimens were caught in gill nets in Lake Erie. These crabs were probably brought from the Baltic in ships' ballast water (Nepszy and Leach 1973). Additional Great Lakes specimens were collected in 2005-2007, two in Lake Superior, at Thunder Bay and three in Lake Erie (Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2006; de LaFontaine 2008). In 2004, two specimens were caught in the St. Lawrence River, the first near Quebec City, and a second near Trois Rivieres, both in the estuary in 2004, and a third in 2005, in Lake St. Pierre, in a dammed portion of the river, above the head of tide (de Lafontaine 2005; Environment Canada 2006). In 2006-2007, eight additonal adult specimens were caught in the St. Lawrence estuary (de Lafontaine 2008). Reproduction of E. sinensis in the St. Lawrence River has not been documented.
Gulf of Mexico drainage- A single specimen of E. sinensis was collected from the Mississippi River Delta in Plaquemines Parish Louisiana (Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2006). This specimen could have arrived by ballast water or be an escape or release resulting from the "live food" trade.
San Francisco Bay- The only known established population of Eriocheir sinensis in the United States is in the San Francisco Bay estuary and watershed. Fishermen had reported first catching Mitten Crabs in the Bay in 1992. By 1996, they had been collected in the north (San Pablo Bay, Suisun Bay) and south (South Bay) arms of the estuary and their freshwater tributaries (Cohen and Carlton 1997). By 2000, crabs had been collected throughout the Bay, and through much of the lower San Francisco Bay drainage, up to 300 km from tidal waters. Crab burrows in 1999-2000 in South Bay tributaries averaged 20-30/m2, and catches of adult crabs in 1998-2000 reached 100,000-800,000 crabs per year in different regions of the Bay (Rudnick et al. 2003). So far, on the West Coast, E. sinensis is known only from the San Francisco Bay estuary and watershed. A single crab caught in the Columbia River, near Astoria OR in 1997, has been identified as E. japonica (Jensen and Armstrong 2005).
In June 2006, John Delp, a waterman, aboard the crab boat Bodacious, caught a single adult male specimen of Eriocheir sinensis at Seven-foot Knoll, adjacent to the channel at the mouth of the Patpasco River, at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor (John Delp, personal communication, Lynn Fegley (7/21/06, personal communication); The specimen was given to personnel at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and was then brought to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). The specimen was tentatively identified as a male E. sinensis by Yongxu Cheng (7/21/06, personal communication). Rafael LeMaitre (U.S. National Museum of Natural History) confirmed this identification by comparing the specimen to one collected in China.
The publicity about this crab's capture resulted in a report of an earlier male specimen, caught in or before June 2005, by Jim Foltz, a watermen, in Chesapeake Bay, between Fort Howard and North Point, just outside the mouth of the Patapsco River. This specimen, also a male, was kept alive in an aquarium for several months by Steve Thaos, a ranger at North Point State Park, who then froze it and kept it. The specimen was given to the Smithsonan Environmental Research Center (Jim Foltz, Steve Thaos, Carin Stringer, personal communications; Ruiz et al. 2006). In 2006, the SERC Invasions Group recieved 2 additional reports of captures of Mitten Crabs, one near Chesapeake Beach MD, and another at the mouth of the Patuxent River near Solomons. While we did not receive specimens, we considered these reports to be reliable (Ruiz et al. 2006). On May 18 2007, an additional adult male specimen was collected at Holland Point Bar, Chesapeake Beach MD, and in June, two adult female specimens, the first in Chesapeake Bay, were collected, one at Bloody Point Light, on Kent Island, MD, and the other at Cove Point, Solomons MD. In June, 2009, one was caught in North Point Creek near Dundalk MD. So far, all the crabs collected and examined in Chesapeake Bay have been adults, 62-66 mm carapace diameter, 4 males and 2 females. One of the female crab appeared to be in the process of developing a second brood of eggs.
Delaware Bay-
In late May 2007, Mitten Crabs were caught in two locations in upper Delaware Bay, at Liston Point (May 25, 1 male) and Woodland Beach DE (May 29-30, 3 males) (Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2007, Carin Ferrante, personal communication). On July 11, a female crab was caught at Silver Bed Oyster Bar, in the Simons River, DE ). This female had spawned once, and was bearing a second brood of fertilized eggs (Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2007, Carin Ferrante, personal communication. In 2009, 5 additional adults, 2 female and 3 males were caught in upper Delaware Bay (Darrick Sparks, personal communication). However, there are no reports of this crab in Chesapeake Bay waters since 2009.
Hudson River Estuary- On June 3, 2007, an adult male Mitten Crab was caught near the Tappan Zee Bridge, in Nyack NY (Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2007, Carin Ferrante and Darrick Sparks personal communication). Starting in October 2007, 35 crabs, 16-70 mm in carapace width, have been caught in tidal fresh portions to marine ortions of the river between New York Harbor and Tivoli, New York (Carin Ferrante, personal communication). Some juveniles were caught near dams and falls of tributaries, locations suggesting migration. The occurrence oflarge numbers of molts of juvenile crabs indicates the establishment of Mitten Crabs in ths estuary (Schmidt et al. 2009).
In June 2008, two adult male crabs were caught in coastal bays of New Jersey, one in Raritan Bay, a subestuary of New York Bight, into which the Hudson also flows. From May to September, 2009, 36 adult crabs, 18 males, 18 females (4 bearing eggs) were caught in Raritan Bay and its tributaries.
New Jersey Coastal Bays-One male crab was caught in Toms River NJ, in a tributary of Barnegat Bay (Carin Ferrante, personal communication). A second adult male crab was caught in May 2009 in Barnegat Bay (Darrick sparks, personal communication).
From 2006 through September 2009, 93 Chinese Mitten Crabs, 36 females and 57 males, ranging from 16 to 74 mm carapace width have been collected in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, from Chesapeake Bay north to the Hudson River. . Reproduction has not been confirmed, but the increasing captures of juveniles increase the probability of establishment of this species.
The importation of Eriocheir sinensis to North America, and interstate transport is prohibited by the federal Lacey Act. Mitten crabs were listed under the act in 1989. Before then, they were offered alive for sale in Asian markets at prices up to $32/kg. In 1987, they were also banned by California state law (Cohen and Carlton 1998). Maryland banned possession of Chinese Mitten Crabs in 2002 (Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2006.
Invasion References: Anger 1991; Berger and Naumov 2002; Cabral and Costa 1999; Center for Aquatic Resource Studies 2006-2007; Cohen and Carlton 1997; de Lafontaine 2005; Environment Canada 2006; Galil et al. 2002; Gomiou et al. 2002; Herborg et al. 2003; Herborg et al. 2005; Jensen and Armstrong 2005; Maryland Department of Natural Resources 2006; Murina and Antonovsky 2001; Nepsy and Leach 1973; Robbins et al. 2006; Rudnick et al. 2000; Rudnick et a. 2003; Ruiz et al. 2006; Takeda and Koziumi 2005;
Invasion Comments
None
Ecology
Environmental Tolerances
| For Survival | For Reproduction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Maximum | Minimum | Maximum | |
| Temperature (ºC) | 0.0 | 30.0 | 12.0 | 18.0 |
| Salinity (‰) | 0.0 | 35.0 | 25.0 | 15.0 |
| Oxygen | hypoxic | |||
| pH | ||||
| Salinity Range | fresh-eu |
Age and Growth
| Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Adult Size (mm) | 30.0 | 30.0 |
| Typical Adult Size (mm) | 60.0 | 60.0 |
| Maximum Adult Size (mm) | 95.0 | 95.0 |
| Maximum Longevity (yrs) | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Typical Longevity (yrs | 2.0 | 2.0 |
Reproduction
| Start | Peak | End | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reproductive Season | |||
| Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event |
|||
| Sexuality Mode(s) | |||
| Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction |
|||
| Fertilization Type(s) | |||
| More than One Reproduction Event per Year |
|||
| Reproductive Startegy | |||
| Egg/Seed Form |
Impacts
Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay
At present, only one specimen of Eriocheir sinensis is known from the Chesapeake Bay (John Delp, personal communication, Lynn Fegley (7/21/06, personal communication). Preparations are being made for surveys to determine whether any additional individuals are present, for public education in order to encourage reporting of more specimens, and for coordination of of state and federal agencies planning for responses to possible future impacts.
Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay
The impacts of Chinese Mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) invasions in Europe and San Francisco Bay will be presented below:
Fisheries:
A variety of negative impacts of Eriocheir sinensis on fisheries have been reported from Europe and California. Mitten crabs steal fish bait from anglers and commercial fishermen in both regions. In some areas of San Francisco Bay and European waters, interference by crabs with bait has made fishing unpleasant or impossible (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003; Invasive Species Specialist Group 2006). Sport fisheries in San Francisco Bay have a total annual value of about $2 billion per year (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003), so that loss of fishing in parts of the Bay is a substantial economic impact. In addition to bait-stealing, dense populations of Mitten Crabs also interfere with traps, nets and aquaculture ponds, by clogging them and breaking them, and by eating trapped fishes (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003; Invasive Species Specialist Group 2006). In California, they caused serious mortality in fish-salvage facilites, designed to divert fish from irrgation faclilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At peak migration times, mortality of migrating fish in 1998 was 98-99%. Retrofitting of the facilities to prevent mitten crab entrapment was expensive (Rudnick et al. 2000; Chinese Mitten Crab Control Committee 2003). Mitten Crabs can also intefere with fisheries by competition for food and shelter with fished species such as crayfishes and shrimps in San Francisco Bay (Chinese Mitten Crab Control Committee 2003), or potentially with crab fisheries.
Introduced Chinese Mitten Crabs are a potential fisheries resource. They are a highly valued food in Asian communities, and are the object of intense aquaculture efforts in China (Hymanson et al. 1999). Before importation of the crab to the U.S. was banned under the Lacey Act in 1989, mitten crabs were being sold for $28-32/kg in San Francisco and up to $85 /kg in New York City (Cohen and Carlton 1997; Hymanson et al. 1999). Since the ban on imports of mitten crabs, several importers have been arrested for attempting to bring crabs into the country. In one case in 2001, a shipment of crabs weighing 780 lbs, and valued at $32,000, was intercepted. The importer was sentenced to 3 months in prison and $3,000 in fines under the Lacey Act. (U.S. Newswire 2003). Developing fisheries or aquaculture for this species might be profitable, but would risk spreading the species and its negative impacts
.
Habitat Change (Ecosystem services): Juvenile Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese Mitten Crabs), in their native habitats, and in California and Europe, create extensive burrows in the banks of the tidal portions of streams (Rudnick et al. 2005b). This extensive burrowing in steep creek banks creates increased erosion, slumping, and sometimes collapse of river banks. In man-made levee and dike systems, Mitten Crab burrows can increase the frequency of catastrophic flooding during rain events and contribute to the loss of tidal wetlands.
Shipping (Boating)- Erosion and riverbank collapse due to burrowing can affect canals and shipping channels (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003).
Industry (Powerplants)- Large numbers of migrating crabs have clogged the cooling sytems of powerplants in Europe and California, reducing water flows (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003).
Agriculture- Chinese Mitten Crabs are reported to damage rice plants in China, and pose a threat to rice fields in California. Their ability to burrow in canal banks and clog irrigation water systems is also a serious problem for irrigation-dependent agriculture (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003).
Human Health- In its native range, Eriocheir sinensis is a secondary host for an Asian lung fluke Paragonimus westermani. This parasite requires a snail as a primary host, which is ingested by a crustacean, and then by a mammal, the final host. Humans can acquire the fluke by eating raw or inadequately cooked or pickled crustaceans (Center for Disease Control 2006). One potential Asian host snail (Melanoides tuberculata is established in the San Francisco Bay Delta and Florida. However, the fluke has not yet been seen in Calfiornia crabs (Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003).
References- Center for Disease Control 2006; Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2003; Cohen and Carlton 1997; Hymanson et al. 1999; Rudnick et al. 2005b; U.S. Newswire 2003
Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species
At present, only one specimen of Eriocheir sinensis (Chinese Mitten Crab) is known from the Chesapeake Bay, so ecological impacts of this species here are unknown. The impacts of invasions in Europe and San Francisco Bay will be presented below:
Predation/Herbivory- Eriocheir sinensis is an opportunistic omnivore. Juvenile and adult crabs feed on detritus, algae, aquatic plants, invertebrates, and dead or trapped fishes. Stable Isotope, gut contents, and feeding studies in San Francisco Bay indicate that this species feeds heavily on aquatic derived detritus, algae, and invertebrates feeding on the sediment surface. Dense populations of mitten crabs could alter stream communities by decreasing abundance of surface-dwelling invertebrates, shifting invertebrate populations to deeper dwelling infauna (Hymanson et al. 1999; Rudnick et al. 2000; Rudnick and Resh 2005). Mitten crabs are not normally fish predators, since they are slow-moving, but in confined spaces such as fishways, and holding-tanks in powerplant and irrgation systems, they can attack fish or cause mortality through sheer crowding and clogging of passageways. In California, they caused serious mortality in fish-salvage facilites, designed to divert fish from irrgation faclilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At peak migration times, mortality of migrating fish in 1998 was 98-99% (Rudnick et al. 2000; Chinese Mitten Crab Control Committee 2003). Direct predation on fish eggs in spawning streams (for example, to Steelhead Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), is a concern in the San Francisco Bay area (Chinese Mitten Crab Control Committee 2003).
Competition- Chinese Mitten Crabs are potential competitors with other crustaceans in estuarine and freshwater habitats for food and space. We are not aware of studies on E. sinesis competing for food with crabs in estuaries. The diet of the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) is more carnivorous (Lippson and Lippson 1997), but both species are opportunistic, so a high density of Mitten Crabs could result in competition for invertebrate food and carrion. In freshwater, competition for food with native crayfishes [Orconectes limosus (Spinycheek Crayfish), Cambarus bartonii (Appalachian Brook Crayfish), C. diogenes (Devil Crayfish), Procambarus acutus (Eastern White River Crayfish) and others] is possible. These species are also omnivorous, so their food supply could be affected by the introduction of mitten crabs.
Shelter from predators can be critical for crabs and crayfishes, especially juveniles. Juvenile mitten crabs are potential competitors for hiding places under rocks and logs and in submerged vegetation (SAV) beds (Rudnick et al. 2000). In brackish estuarine waters, such competition is likely with mud crabs (e.g. Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Harris Mud Crab), Eurypanopeus depressus (Flatback Mud Crab), and with juvenile Blue Crabs. In fresh waters, introduced crayfishes frequently displace native species from shelters through aggressive behavior (Bovberg 1970). Juvenile crabs dig burrows in river banks, and could compete with other burrowing species, such as Uca minax (Red-Jointed Fiddler Crab) in brackish areas and Cambarus diogenes (Devil Crayfish) in fresh waters (Lippson and Lippson 1997).
The native crayfishes Orconectes limosus (Spinycheek Crayfish), Cambarus bartonii (Appalachian Brook Crayfish) are already rare in many Chesapeake Bay drainages as a result of competition with the introduced Orconectes virilis (Virile Crayfish) (Schwartz et al. 1963; Jezerinac et al. 1997).
Habitat Change (Ecosystem Engineering)-JuvenileEriocheir sinensis (Chinese Mitten Crabs), in their native and introduced habitats, create extensive burrows in the banks of the tidal portions of streams. Burrows in South San Francisco Bay tidal streams ranged from simple tubelike holes to complex, many-branched systems with multiple entrances, but all sloped downward from the entrance, so that they retained water after high tide. In different areas, total burrow volume averaged 700-900 cm-3 (Rudnick et al. 2005b). Burrowing crabs ranged from 4 mm to 45 mm carapace width, and burrow diameter was about twice the crab's carapace width. Overall, in the study area, burrows removed from 0.8 to 5.7% of the stream bank sediment duirng the study (Rudnick et al. 2005b). This extensive burrowing in steep creek banks creates increased erosion, slumping, and sometimes collapse of river banks. In man-made levee and dike systems, Mitten Crab burrows can increase the frequency of catastrophic flooding during rain events and contribute to the loss of tidal wetlands.
References- Bovberg 1970; Chinese Mitten Crab Working Group 2002; Jezerinac et al. 1997; Lippson and Lippson 1997; Hymanson et al. 1999; Rudnick et al. 2000; Rudnick et al. 2005b; Rudnick and Resh 2005; Schwartz et al. 1963
Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species
At present, only one specimen of Eriocheir sinensis is known from the Chesapeake Bay. Possible impacts on non-native species in the Chesapeake Bay region will be mentioned below:
Predation: The introduced Asian Freshwater Clam Corbicula fluminea was a common food item of E. sinensis in San Francisco Bay tributaries (Rudnick and Resh 2005) and could be expected be a frequent prey in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Competition- Chinese Mitten Crabs are potential competitors with other crustaceans in estuarine and freshwater habitats for food and space. Non-native species which could be affected include Orconectes virilis (Virile Crayfish) and Procambarus clarkii (Red Swamp Crayfish), both nestablished in Chesapeake Bay tributaries. In San Francisco Bay tributaties, diets of E. sinensis and P. clarkii overlapped somewhat, but the crab fed more on detritus of aquatic origin, algae, and surface dwelling invertebrates, while P. clarkii fed more on detritus of terrestiai origin and deeper-dwelling infauna (Rudnick and Resh 2005).
References- Rudnick and Resh 2005
References
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2003 New York fish importer sentenced to prison for illegally importing mitten crabs. http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=18997