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