FIRST RESULTS OF MEDITERRANEAN SPIDER CRAB (MAJA SOUINADO HERBST, 1788) REARING

摘要

Two spider crab species inhabiting the Spanish coast can be distinguished: the Mediterranean spider crab, Maja squinado, and the Atlantic spider crab, Maja brackydactyla. Recently, Sotelo et al. (2008) have justified genetically the designation of Maja brachydactyla and Maja squinado as different species, corroborating the morphological classification previously proposed by Newman (1998). hi the Balearic Islands, Maja squinado has become very rare despite its abundance 50 years ago. The reasons of this remain unclear and have not been specifically studied (Garcia, 2007).