Download - The Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus
The Blue CrabCallinectes sapidus
Callinectes- beautiful swimmer
Sapidus-savory
• Member of the swimming crab family
• Aggressive, bottom-dwelling predator and “keystone” species
• Also make up the most productive commercial and recreational fisheries
Sexually dimorphic
Taxonomy
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda (spiders, insects)
• Class: Crustacea (lobsters, shrimp)
• Order: Decapoda (ten-footed)
• Family: Portunidae (swimming crabs)
• Close relatives of the shrimp and lobster
• Growth and development occurs when an animal molts (sheds its rigid exoskeleton)
• Before molting, a new shell is formed underneath the old exoskeleton, which then loosens and is cast off
• Pre-copulation dance
Habitat
• Extends along the Atlantic Coast from Nova Scotia through South America
• Live in estuaries and need brackish (salt and freshwater mix) and high salinity waters for their complex life cycle
• Loves SAV (submerged aquatic vegetation) to hide in and buries in the deep, muddy parts of the estuary in the winter
General Facts
• Diet: Omnivore, opportunistic (taking advantage of what is available), which also means they will eat each other if they have to
• Average lifespan in the wild: 1 to 3 years
• Size: 4 in (10.2 cm) long; 9 in (23 cm) wide
Size relative to a tea cup
Threats• Habitat loss
• Degraded water quality
• Overfishing
Economic Importance
• 1/3 of the nation’s catch of blue crabs come from the Chesapeake
• Blue crabs have the highest value of any Chesapeake commercial fishery
• In 2000, the harvest was valued at $55 million
• Also major recreational fishery
Cool Stuff!
• Crabs can release their claws (Autotomy) and regenerate new ones
• Males are called “jimmies”, females called “sooks”
• Can survive out of water for several days as long as its moist and not a stressful environment
• Use chemoreception to find food