Dyspanopeus sayi
| Dyspanopeus sayi | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Panopeidae |
| Genus: | Dyspanopeus |
| Species: | D. sayi |
| Binomial name | |
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Dyspanopeus sayi (S. I. Smith, 1869) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Dyspanopeus sayi is a species of mud crab that is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also become established outside its native range, living in Swansea Docks since 1960, the Mediterranean Sea since the 1970s, the North Sea since 2007 and the Black Sea since 2010. It can reach a carapace width of 20 mm (0.8 in), and has black tips to its unequal claws. It feeds on bivalves and barnacles, and is in turn eaten by predators including the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Eggs are produced from spring to autumn, the offspring reach sexual maturity the following summer, and individuals can live for up to two years. The closest relative of D. sayi is D. texanus, which lives in the Gulf of Mexico; the two species differ in subtle features of the genitalia and the last pair of walking legs.
Dyspanopeus sayi is a small crab, similar in appearance to Eurypanopeus depressus. It reaches a maximum carapace width of 20 millimetres (0.8 in), with sexually mature females having a carapace 6.1 millimetres (0.24 in) or more across. The carapace is roughly hexagonal, about 1.3–1.4 times as wide as long and strongly convex. It has a finely granular surface, and has a light covering of hair, especially towards the front and sides. The chelae (claws) are unequal: the right claw is stouter, and the left claw is narrower. The carapace is olive-green to brown, but the tips of the claws are black.
The natural range of D. sayi extends from the Baie des Chaleurs (eastern Canada) to the Florida Keys (south-eastern United States), where it lives from the intertidal zone down to depths of 46 metres (151 ft). It tolerates a wide range of temperatures and salinities.
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Wikipedia