First record of the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae) in Algerian coastal waters (southwestern Mediterranean)

摘要

A single specimen of the invasive American blue crab Callinectes sapidus was captured at a depth between 0.5 and 1 m, by a fisherman in August 2018, near the estuary of the Oued Z’hor, in the eastern part of the Algerian coast. This report represents the first record of this species from Algerian coastal waters. Callinectes sapidus has widely invaded European Atlantic coasts and several areas of the Mediterranean, probably through ballast waters. However, information is still insufficient to ascertain the origin and mode of introduction of this species into the Algerian coast.