Population structure and dynamics of the invasive crab Charybdis longicollis parasitised by the rhizocephalan Heterosaccus dollfusi along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey

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DEVAL M. C.

BIOLOGIA, cilt.75, sa.12, ss.2239-2249, 2020 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 75 Sayı: 12
  • Basım Tarihi: 2020
  • Doi Numarası: 10.2478/s11756-020-00479-x
  • Dergi Adı: BIOLOGIA
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Animal Behavior Abstracts, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Veterinary Science Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.2239-2249
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Invasive species, Catch, Rhizocephalan, Decapod, Bottom trawl, 1938 BRACHYURA PORTUNIDAE, CARCINUS-MAENAS, WEST-COAST, LEENE, BOSCHMA, PREVALENCE, GROWTH, CRUSTACEA, DECAPODA, BAY
  • Akdeniz Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The invasive crab Charybdis longicollis was first reported in Mersin Bay (Mediterranean Sea/Turkey) in 1954, and since the early 1990s, its populations have been heavily parasitised by the alien rhizocephalan Heterosaccus dollfusi. In Antalya Bay, 46.6% of the trawled catch is constituted by C. longicollis. Monthly biomass values fluctuated between 67 kg km(-2) (June) and 704 kg km(-2) (October), with a mean of 260 kg km(-2). The percentage of change in females ranged from 29% in October to 53% in January. The mean carapace width of uninfected crabs was significantly larger in males (35.1 mm) than females (30.6 mm). Male crabs (34.3%) were more heavily parasitised than females (12.1%). The reduction in size of the chela and broadening of the abdomen are two characteristic modifications of infected males. The size at first maturity was estimated at CW = 24.7 mm. Ovigerous females were found all year-round but were more abundant in spring. Male and female individuals of C. longicollis displayed a maximum of three and one modal groups per year, respectively. Natural mortality (M) was estimated as 1.1 year(-1) for male crabs.