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Species
Eriocheir sinensis (Milne-Edwards, 1854)
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Chinese mitten crabs are found on coasts from Japan to the mainland of China, Korean Peninsula, and along the Yellow Sea; they are also found on the coasts of northern and eastern Europe and the United States.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Introduced , Native )
- 2003. "Eriocheir Sinensis (Milne Edwards, 1853)" (On-line). Accessed October 13, 2007 at http://nis.gsmfc.org/nis_factsheet.php?toc_id=132.
- Gollasch, S. 2006. "Eriocheir Sinensis (Crustacean)" (On-line). Accessed October 13, 2007 at http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=38&fr=1&sts=.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Eriocheir_sinensis/ |
The Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, has been widely introduced into many regions outside of its native range in China. As a result, it has been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) list of the world's worst 100 invasive alien species.It has conspicuous setal mats on its claws and both its British common name, Chinese mitten crab, and its scientific name, Eriocheir sinensis, which means ‘wool hand, the Chinese’, originate from this distinguishing feature. It is the only crab in Britain that has this.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Dr Paul Clarke, Natural History Museum |
Source | No source database. |
The Chinese mitten crab arrived in the German Weser River in 1912. Larvae hitched a ride with ships trading with China. A notable feature of this crab is the brown 'hair' on its claws. Adult animals live in fresh water. They migrate to sea to mate and lay their eggs. During their migration journey, they don't let much stand in their way. Sometimes, they cross over a dike or a road in massive numbers or decide to take a shortcut through a neighborhood. People are totally perplexed when they suddenly see a group of crabs walking through their garden. They are readily seen as giant spiders or aliens from out-of-space!
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Ecomare |
Source | http://www.ecomare.nl/index.php?id=3659&L=2 |
Vector
Esta especie ha sido dispersada mediante el transporte de ejemplares juveniles y larvas en el agua de lastre de los buques, o bien mediante el transporte de cangrejos ya adultos adheridos a los propios cascos de los barcos (Martínez &Adarraga, 2006). Su establecimiento puede estar determinado por el clima adecuado, las condiciones de salinidad y la falta de competencia de otras especies (Gollash, 2006).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | No source database. |
Eriocheir sinensis was first described in 1853 by the French naturalist Henri Milne Edwards in Annales des Sciences Naturelles, série 3, volume 20. A more detailed description appeared a year later in volume 7 of the Archives du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. This is often, incorrectly, cited as the authority for E. sinensis and it appears that H. Milne Edwards himself may have intended this description to appear first, as he cites figure 1 from it in the earlier publication.However, according to the rules laid out in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 1999, the correct authority of the species is Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853.
Related species
3 other species have also been assigned to the genus Eriocheir:
- Eriocheir hepuensis Dai, 1991
- Eriocheir japonica (de Haan, 1835)
- Eriocheir ogasawaraensis Komai, 2006
Diagnostic characters of Eriocheir sinensis
- Setal mats on the chelae
- Quadrate (squarish) carapace
- Frontal margin with deep central cleft and 4 spines
- 4 teeth on the carapace anterolateral margin
Identification of mitten crabs
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Dr Paul Clarke, Natural History Museum |
Source | No source database. |
Mitten Crabs are omnivores, which means that they eat both plants and animals as its primary food source. As juveniles they mostly eat vegetation but also prey on small invertebrates
Animal Foods: other marine invertebrates
Plant Foods: algae
Other Foods: detritus
Primary Diet: omnivore
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Eriocheir_sinensis/ |
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
1.1 Descripción de la especie
Caparazón cuadrangular, ligeramente más ancho que largo. El rostro tiene dos lóbulos bien diferenciados bífidos. A cada lado del caparazón son visibles cuatro dientes bien desarrollados. Las pinzas llevan en la parte externa del propodio unos característicos pompones de cerdas tupidas, dejando libres los extremos de las quelas. El color puede variar desde un verde grisáceo a un pardo oscuro. Las dimensiones máximas del caparazón no superan los 6 cm de longitud por 6.5 cm de ancho, aunque el aspecto general es mucho mayor debido al gran desarrollo de las patas del animal (Martínez &Adarraga, 2006).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | No source database. |
Omnívoro
Esta especie es generalmente omnívora, aunque sus hábitos alimenticios pueden cambiar a lo largo de su ciclo de vida, pueden incluir camarón y otros invertebrados bentónicos (Rudnick et al., 2000).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ |
Rights holder/Author | CONABIO |
Source | No source database. |