Asian Shore Crabs in Maine
Please submit sightings of the Asian shore crab in Maine to this mission. Any descriptive notes about the habitat (marsh, cobble, mud, etc) would be helpful. Also, knowing whether it was found by itself or among many other Asian shore crabs would also be very useful information in estimating how much this crab's population is growing.
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Created by
EStephenson
5 participants
2 spottings
I would like to collect sightings of the Asian shore crab along the Maine coast so as to be able to track its distribution and abundance.
The Asian shore crab (Hemigrapsus sanguineus) is an invasive species that is native to Japan and China. It was first detected in the U.S. on the New Jersey coast in 1988 and now ranges from North Carolina to Maine. The crab is fairly abundant in southern Maine, spotty in mid-coast Maine and has not been reported east of Schoodic Point, Maine.
The Asian shore crab is brownish-green in color, has a square-shaped carapace or shell, and has three serrations or spines next to each eye. It is found primarily under cobbles in the intertidal and shallow subtidal zones along the coast.
Note: The Asian shore crab is sometimes confused with the green crab (Carcinus maenas), which is also an invasive species. However the green crab has a pentagon-shaped shell and 5 spines near each eye.
