Two crab species-Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis Edw.) and mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould) ssp. tridentatus (Maitland) in the Lithuanian coastal waters, Baltic Sea

Abstract

1 - The main objective of this research was to overview both historical and recent data on two alien crab species-Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis Milne-Edwards, 1854) and mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould) ssp. tridentatus (Maitland) distribution in the Curonian Lagoon and coastal zone of the Baltic sea. 2 - Data collected since 1935 includes interviews with fishermen, popular science publications, museum collections and ichthyological monitoring. 3 - During the last two decades records of the mitten crabs became more frequent, probably representing changes in the commercial fishery regulations. 4 - Several gravid females of the mitten crab were caught in the coastal area of the Baltic Sea, however, larval development is not documented. 5 - Unlike the mitten crab, the mud crab distribution is restricted to the rapidly-changing salinity (0 to 5 - 7 psu) area.