First record of the potential invasive crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) in the Uruguayan coast
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Exotic species, Southwestern Atlantic, Estuarine crab, Zoea, ,Early detectionAbstract
Abstract: Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Brachyura, Panopeidae) is a small euryhaline and eurythermal omnivorous
crab native to the Northwest Atlantic. However, it has become an invasive species in various estuaries and
coastal areas far from its original habitat, most likely due to intercontinental shipping. Once it establishes itself
in one location, it can spread to neighboring regions via maritime currents. In 1982, this species was found
in South America, specifically in Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil. In this study, we present the first record of R. harrisii
larvae in Uruguay, located in the coastal marine zone of Laguna de Rocha, approximately 300 km south of Lagoa
dos Patos. It was discovered during a study that involved 15 plankton samplings, conducted from February
2016 to February 2017. Notably, the observation of R. harrisii larvae was limited to the coastal zone during
the summer and autumn of 2016 (February to April). All observed larvae were in the zoeal stage, and their
abundance ranged from three to 185 individuals per 100 m3
. The temperature and salinity values recorded during
sampling surveys with the presence of R. harrisii ranged from 19 to 22.4 °C and 11.8-32.5 ppt, respectively.
The discovery of the larval stage suggests that adults of this species may be reproducing in the eastern coastal zone
of Uruguay or nearby regions. The area in which they are currently found could potentially serve as a biological
corridor, facilitating their spread to other estuaries of great economic and ecological importance, such as the
Río de la Plata, as well as other coastal lagoons and subestuaries in Uruguay and Argentina. Further monitoring
studies are necessary to determine whether this species became established in the area. Potential ecological
consequences in our region derived from its presence are herein discussed.
References
Aarnio, K., Törnroos, A., Björklund, C. & Bonsdorff, E.
Food web positioning of a recent coloniser:
The North American Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus
harrisii (Gould, 1841) in the northern Baltic Sea. Aquatic
Invasions, 10(4), 399-413.
Bas, C., Luppi, T., Spivak, E. & Schejter, L. 2009. Larval
dispersion of the estuarine crab Neohelice granulata
in coastal marine waters of the Southwest Atlantic.
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 83(4), 569-576.
Bax, N., Hayes, K., Marshall, A., Parry, D. & Tresher, R.
Man-made marinas as sheltered islands for alien
marine organisms: Establishment and eradication of an
alien invasive marine species. In: VEITCH C. & CLOUT,
M. (Eds.). Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive
species. Gland: IUCN.
Bergamino, L., Rodríguez-Gallego, L., Pérez-Parada, A.,
Chialanza, M. R., Amaral, V., Perez, L., Scarabino, F.,
Lescano, C., García-Sposito, C., Costa, S., Lane, C.
S., Tudurí, A., Venturini, N., & García-Rodríguez, F.
Autochthonous organic carbon contributions to
the sedimentary pool: A multi-analytical approach in
Laguna Garzón. Organic Geochemistry, 125, 55-65.
Botto, F., Valiela, I., Iribarne, O., Martinetto, P. & Alberti, J.
Impact of burrowing crabs on C and N sources,
control, and transformations in sediments and food
webs of SW Atlantic estuaries. Marine Ecology Progress
Series, 293, 155-164.
Coelho, P. A., Alemida, A. O. & Bezerra, L. E. A. 2008.
Checklist of the marine and estuarine Brachyura
(Crustacea: Decapoda) of northern and northeastern
Brazil. Zootaxa, 1956, 1-58.
Connolly, C. J. 1925. No. 15: The larval stages and megalops
of Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould). Contributions to
Canadian Biology and Fisheries, 2(2), 327-334.
Cronin, T. W. 1982. Estuarine retention of larvae of the crab
Rhithropanopeus harrisii. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf
Science, 15(2), 207-220.
Cushing, D. H. 1969. The regulatory of the spawning season of
some fishes. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 33, 81–92.
D’incao, F. & Martins, S. 1998. Occurrence of
Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) in the southern
coast of Brazil (Decapoda, Xanthidae). Nauplius, 6,
-194.
Fabiano, G. & Santana, O. 2006. Las pesquerías en las
lagunas costeras salobres de Uruguay. In Menafra,
R.; Rodríguez-Gallego, L.; Scarabino, F. & Conde, D.
(Eds.), Bases para la conservación y el manejo de la
costa uruguaya. Montevideo: Vida Silvestre.
Forward, R. B. 2009. Larval biology of the crab
Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould): A synthesis.
The Biological Bulletin, 216(3), 243-256.
Fowler. A., Forsström, T., Von Numers, M. & Vesakoski, O.
The North American mud crab Rhithropanopeus
harrisii (Gould, 1841) in newly colonized Northern Baltic Sea:
distribution and ecology. Aquatic invasions, 8(1), 89-96.
Gagnon, K. & Boström, C. 2016. Habitat expansion of the
Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841)
in the northern Baltic Sea: Potential consequences for the
eelgrass food web. BioInvasions Records, 5(2), 101-106.
Garside, C. J., Glasby, T. M., Coleman, M. A., Kelaher, B. P. &
Bishop, M. J. 2014. The frequency of connection of coastal
water bodies to the ocean predicts Carcinus maenas
invasion. Limnology and Oceanography, 59(4), 1288-1296.
Giménez, L. 2006. Comunidades bentónicas estuarinas
de la costa uruguaya. In: Menafra, R.; RodríguezGallego, L.; Scarabino, F. & Conde, D. (Eds.), Bases
para la conservación y el manejo de la costa uruguaya.
Montevideo: Vida Silvestre.
Giménez, L., Venturini, N., Kandratavicius, N., Hutton, M.,
Lanfranconi, A., Rodríguez, M., Brugnoli, E. & Muniz,
P. 2014. Macrofaunal patterns and animal–sediment
relationships in Uruguayan estuaries and coastal
lagoons (Atlantic coast of South America). Journal of
Sea Research, 87, 46-55.
GISD (Global Invasive Species Database). 2008.
Rhithropanopeus harrisii. Retrieved from http://www.
iucngisd.org/gisd/ on 22 February 2023.
Griffiths, J. R., Kadin, M., Nascimento, F. J. A., Tamelander,
T., Törnroos, A., Bonaglia, S., Bonsdorff, E., Brüchert,
V., Gårdmark, A., Järnström, M., Kotta, J., Lindegren,
M., Nordström, M. C., Norkko, A., Olsson, J., Weigel,
B., Žydelis, R., Blenckner, T., Niiranen, S. & Winder,
M. 2017. The importance of benthic–pelagic coupling
Rhithropanopeus harrisii in the Uruguayan coast
Ocean and Coastal Research 2024, v72:e24023 9
Machado et al.
for marine ecosystem functioning in a changing world.
Global Change Biology, 23(6), 2179-2196.
Hjort J. 1914. Fluctuations in the great fisheries of northern
Europe viewed in the light of biological research. Journal
du Conseil Permanent International pour L’Exploration
de la Mer, 20, 1–228.
Iseda, M., Otani, M. & Kimura, T. 2007. First Record of an
Introduced Crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Crustacea:
Brachyura: Panopeidae) in Japan. Japanese Journal of
Benthology, 62, 39-44.
Ituarte, R. B., D’anatro, A., Luppi, T. A., Ribeiro, P. D., Spivak, E.
D., Iribarne, O. O. & Lessa, E. P. 2012. Population Structure
of the SW Atlantic Estuarine Crab Neohelice granulata
Throughout Its Range: A Genetic and Morphometric Study.
Estuaries and Coasts, 35(5), 1249-1260
Jeffs, A. & O’rorke, R. 2020. Feeding and Nutrition of
Crustacean Larvae. In: ANGER, K.; HARZSCH, S. &
THIEL M. (Eds.), Developmental Biology and Larval
Ecology: The Natural History of the Crustacea (Vol. 7).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Kandratavicius, N., Muniz, P., Venturini, N. & Giménez, L.
Meiobenthic communities in permanently open
estuaries and open/closed coastal lagoons of Uruguay
(Atlantic coast of South America). Estuarine, Coastal
and Shelf Science, 163, 44-53.
Kotta, J. & Ojaveer, H. 2012. Rapid establishment of the
alien crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould) in the Gulf
of Riga. Estonian Journal of Ecology, 61(4), 293-299.
Kotta, J., Wernberg, T., Jänes, H., Kotta, I., Nurkse, K.,
Pärnoja, M. & Orav-Kotta, H. 2018. Novel crab predator
causes marine ecosystem regime shift. Scientific
Reports, 8(1), 4956
Langeneck, J., Barbieri, M., Maltagliati, F. & Castelli, A.
The low basin of the Arno River (Tuscany, Italy) as
alien species hotspot: First data about Rhithropanopeus
harrisii (Crustacea, Panopeidae). Transitional Waters
Bulletin, 9(1), 1-10.
Lodge, D. M., Williams, S., Macisaac, H. J., Hayes, K. R.,
Leung, B., Reichard, S., Mack, R. N., Moyle, P. B., Smith,
M., Andow, D. A., Carlton, J. T. & McMichael, A. 2006.
Biological Invasions: Recommendations for U.S. Policy and
Management. Ecological Applications, 16(6), 2035-2054.
Machado, I. 2022. Conectividad entre la Laguna de
Rocha y la zona marina adyacente: Implicancias para
el reclutamiento de larvas de peces y decápodos
Irene [PhD Thesis]. Universidad de la República.
Available from: https://www.colibri.udelar.edu.uy/jspui/
handle/20.500.12008/35333 Acessed on: 22 Feb 2023.
Machado, I., Barreiro, M. & Calliari, D. 2013. Variability
of chlorophyll-a in the Southwestern Atlantic from
satellite images: Seasonal cycle and ENSO influences.
Continental Shelf Research, 53, 102-109.
Machado, I., Rodríguez-Gallego, L., Lescano, C. & Calliari,
D. 2021. Species-specific traits and the environment
drive ichthyoplankton fluxes between an intermittently
closed-open lagoon and adjacent coastal waters.
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 261, 107549.
Maciel, F. P., Haakonsson, S., Ponce De León, L., Bonilla,
S. & Pedocchi, F. 2023. Challenges for chlorophyll-a
remote sensing in a highly variable turbidity estuary, an
implementation with sentinel-2. Geocarto International,
(1), 2160017.
Mack, R. N., Simberloff, D., Mark Lonsdale, W., Evans,
H., Clout, M. & Bazzaz, F. A. 2000. Biotic Invasions:
Causes, Epidemiology, Global Consequences, and
Control. Ecological Applications, 10(3), 689-710.
Martínez, A. & Ortega, L. 2015. Delimitation of domains
in the external Río de la Plata estuary, involving
phytoplanktonic and hydrographic variables. Brazilian
Journal of Oceanography, 63, 217-227.
Meyerson, L. A. & Mooney, H. A. 2007. Invasive alien
species in an era of globalization. Frontiers in Ecology
and the Environment, 5(4), 199-208.
Minchin, D. & Gollasch, S. 2003. Fouling and Ships’ Hulls:
How Changing Circumstances and Spawning Events
may Result in the Spread of Exotic Species. Biofouling,
(1), 111-122.
Milessi, A. C., Calliari, D., Rodríguez-Graña, L., Conde,
D., Sellanes, J. & Rodríguez-Gallego, L. 2010. Trophic
mass-balance model of a subtropical coastal lagoon,
including a comparison with a stable isotope analysis of
the food-web. Ecological Modelling, 221(24), 2859-2869.
Nehring, S. 2006. Four arguments why so many alien
species settle into estuaries, with special reference to
the German river Elbe. Helgoland Marine Research,
(2), 127-134
Nurkse, K., Kotta, J., Orav-Kotta, H., Pärnoja, M. &
Kuprijanov, I. 2015. Laboratory analysis of the habitat
occupancy of the crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould)
in an invaded ecosystem: The north-eastern Baltic Sea.
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 154, 152-157.
Piola, A. R., Romero, S. I. & Zajaczkovski, U. 2008. Space–
time variability of the Plata plume inferred from ocean
color. Continental Shelf Research, 28(13), 1556-1567.
Projecto-Garcia, J., Cabral, H. & Schubart, C. D. 2010. High
regional differentiation in a North American crab species
throughout its native range and invaded European
waters: A phylogeographic analysis. Biological
Invasions, 12(1), 253-263.
Reaser, J. K., Burgiel, S. W., Kirkey, J., Brantley, K. A.,
Veatch, S. D. & Burgos-Rodríguez, J. 2020. The early
detection of and rapid response (EDRR) to invasive
species: A conceptual framework and federal capacities
assessment. Biological Invasions, 22(1), 1-19.
Roche, D. G. & Torchin, M. E. 2007. Established population
of the North American Harris mud crab, Rhithropanopeus
harrisii (Gould 1841) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Xanthidae)
in the Panamá Canal. Aquatic Invasions, 2(3), 155-161
Roche, D. G., Torchin, M. E., Leung, B. & Binning, S. A.
Localized invasion of the North American Harris
mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, in the Panama
Canal: Implications for eradication and spread.
Biological Invasions, 11(4), 983-993.
Rodrigues, D. S. & Fonseca, D. B. 2021. Individual growth
and mortality of Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Decapoda:
Panopeidae) in the estuarine region of Patos Lagoon,
Southern Brazil. Nauplius, 29.
Rodrigues, M. A. & D’incao, F. 2015. Abundance and biometric
relations of the invader crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii on the
Patos Lagoon estuary, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Boletim
do Museu de Biologia Mello Leitao, 37(2), 219-232.
Rhithropanopeus harrisii in the Uruguayan coast
Ocean and Coastal Research 2024, v72:e24023 10
Machado et al.
Rodríguez, E. M. & Luppi, T. A. 2020. Neohelice granulata,
a Model Species for Studies on Crustaceans, Volume
I: Life History and Ecology . Cambridge: Cambridge
Scholars Publishing.
Rodríguez-Gallego, L., Achkar, M., Defeo, O., Vidal, L.,
Meerhoff, E. & Conde, D. 2017. Effects of land use
changes on eutrophication indicators in five coastal
lagoons of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Estuarine,
Coastal and Shelf Science, 188, 116-126.
Rodríguez-Gallego, L., Sabaj, V., Masciadri, S., Kruk, C.,
Arocena, R. & Conde, D. 2015. Salinity as a Major Driver
for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Coastal Lagoons:
A Multi-Year Analysis in the Subtropical Laguna de
Rocha. Estuaries and Coasts, 38(2), 451-465.
Santos, A. & González-Gordillo, J. I. 2004. Illustrated keys
for the identification of the Pleocyemata (Crustacea:
Decapoda) zoeal stages, from the coastal region of
south-western Europe. Journal of the Marine Biological
Association of the United Kingdom, 84(1), 205-227.
Tavares, M. 2011. Alien Decapod Crustaceans in the
Southwestern Atlantic Ocean. In: Galil, B. S., Clark,
P. F. & Carlton, J. T. (Eds.). In the Wrong Place—Alien
Marine Crustaceans: Distribution, Biology and Impacts
(pp. 251–268). Berlin: Springer Nature.
Trinchín, R., Ortega, L. & Barreiro, M. 2019. Spatio-temporal
characterization of summer coastal upwelling events in
Uruguay, South America. Regional Studies in Marine
Science, 31, 100787.
Tudurí, A., Becoña, L. P., Venturini, N., Rodríguez-Gallego,
L., García-Rodríguez, F., González, L., Lescano, C.,
Costa, S., Del Puerto, L. & Bergamino, L. 2021. Trophic
assessment in South American Atlantic coastal lagoons:
Linking water, sediment and diatom indicators. Marine
Pollution Bulletin, 165, 112119.
Vidal, V., Dutto, M. S. & Machado, I. 2021. First record of
the non-native medusa Blackfordia virginica (Hydrozoa,
Leptomedusae) on the coast of Uruguay, Southwestern
Atlantic. Ocean and Coastal Research, 69.
