Additonal and unusual records of bleu crabs Portunus segnis and Callinectes sapidus from the northeastern Tunisian waters (Central mediterranean sea)

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Volume 14, Article 2

[Volume 14, Article 2]

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SAMI MILI¹

RYM ENNOURI¹

RAOUIA GHANEM^1,2

MOUNA RIFI^2,3

SABRI JAZIRI⁴

MOEZ SHAIEK⁴

JAMILA BEN SOUISSI^2,3

¹Université de Carthage, Institut Supérieur de Pêche et d’Aquaculture de Bizerte, Unité de Recherche: Exploitation des Milieux Aquatiques, Er-Rimel, B.P.15. 7080 Bizerte, Tunisia. Méditerranée Action Nature, 7000, Bizerte, Tunisia.

²Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologie et Changement Climatique LR11ES09, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia. Méditerranée Action Nature, 7000, Bizerte, Tunisia.

³Institut National Agronomique de Tunisie, 43, Avenue Charles Nicolle, 1082 Tunis-Tunisie.

⁴Méditerranée Action Nature, 7000, Bizerte, Tunisia. Université de Tunis El Manar, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Laboratoire de Biodiversité, Biotechnologie et Changement Climatique LR11ES09, 1002 Tunis, Tunisia.

Abstract - The present paper deals with recent records of the blue crabs Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775) and Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) from the northeastern coast of Tunisia during September 2019. A total of 10 brachyura individuals including 4 blue swimming crabs and 6 Atlantic blue crabs were collected in shallow waters on sandy and muddy bottom by fishermen using gillnets and trammel nets from Bizerte and Ghar El Melh Lagoons. All morphometric measurements of these two species were studied. The difference between morphometric characters for P. segnis and C. sapidus were also examined. The concomitant occurrence of these two crab species will have probably unfavourable consequences for these restricted areas.

Key words: Biodiversity, Invasion, Brachyura, Tunisian Lagoons, Climate change, Socio-economic impacts.