Feeding Habits of the Invasive Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in Different Habitats of the SE Iberian Peninsula, Spain (Western Mediterranean)

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 is native to the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Although its arrival to the Mediterranean was probably due to ballast water, this species has several characteristics that have enabled it to successfully invade countless localities in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Little is known about its feeding habits and ecosystem impacts in the Mediterranean basin. This study aimed to provide information on the natural diet of C. sapidus by comparing the stomach contents of specimens caught in different seasons and habitats of the SE Iberian Peninsula (hypersaline waters in Mar Menor Lagoon and brackish waters in Guardamar Bay). This study also tested whether gender influences prey selection and if ovigerous females exhibit limited feeding activity. Regarding the frequency of occurrence, the results indicated that in Mar Menor Lagoon the most frequently consumed prey were Crustacea (60%), followed by fish (57%) and Mollusca (29%), whilst in Guardamar Bay, Mollusca (40%), sediment (32%), algae (24%) and Crustacea (24%) were dominant. It has been determined that this species predates heavily on Mediterranean shrimp Penaeus kerathurus, an economically important shrimp species in the lagoon area. Analysis using a generalised linear model indicated that sex, season and size class were factors that significantly influenced the stomach content weight. Furthermore, non-ovigerous females had significantly fuller stomachs than ovigerous individuals. Since the population of Callinectes sapidus tends to increase in the Mediterranean basin, monitoring of its feeding ecology is recommended to determine its impact on the ecosystem.

The study framework is from the projects I+D+i ECESIS (PID2020-118476RR-C21) and PID2020-118476RR-C22, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/. Additionally, TÜBİTAK BİDEB (2219 Program) supported the first author with a scholarship during post-doctoral study at Alicante University, Spain.