TUBITAK Destekli Projelerden Çıkan Yayınlar Topluluğu
Published January 1, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Presence of a second Eriocheir species in Europe as confirmed by molecular and morphological data

Creators

  • 1. Nat Hist Museum, Dept Life Sci, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 5BD, England
  • 2. All Wales Marine Advice, Marine Operat, Nat Resources Wales, Bangor LL57 2DW, Wales
  • 3. North Wales Wildlife Trust, Bangor LL57 2RT, Gwynedd, Wales
  • 4. Royal Holloway Univ London, Sch Life Sci & Environm, Egham TW20 0EK, Surrey, England
  • 5. INRAE UR EABX, 50 Av Verdun, F-33612 Cestas, France
  • 6. Wageningen Marine Res, Haringkade 1, NL-1976 CP Ijmuiden, Netherlands
  • 7. Combinatie Beroepsvissers COSTA, Pearl Buck Erf 111, NL-3315 BB Dordrecht, Netherlands
  • 8. Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, 3 Lock Lane, Maidstone ME14, Kent, England
  • 9. Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy Univ, Dept Biol, TR-15030 Burdur, Turkey
  • 10. Natl Inst Water & Atmospher Res Ltd, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand

Description

New Chinese mitten crab sequence data were obtained from eight European localities spanning France, The Netherlands, England and Wales. The Netherlands and Wales samples were taken from two areas where mitten crab populations had never before been sequenced. DNA results uncovered the presence of a second Eriocheir species coexisting sympatrically with E. sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853 in the Dee Estuary, Wales and at two sites sampled in The Netherlands. Molecular results and comparative morphology analyses suggest that the second species in European waters is likely to be an undescribed cryptic species. Additional evidence for the presence of a second European invasive mitten crab species is provided by confocal laser scanning microscopy of the male first gonopod. The origins of the Welsh introduction may date back to the early 2000s, when several Dutch dredging operators were active in the Dee Estuary. Despite several localities being sampled, the Eriocheir cryptic species was not found in England, which suggests that English and Welsh mitten crab populations originate from independent introductions. These results radically challenge current assessments of Eriocheir invasion in Europe and should be considered by stakeholders as a new baseline to implement efficient management strategies against invasive mitten crabs.

Files

bib-b908112b-8cbe-462f-a3fd-0270ba9577ab.txt

Files (310 Bytes)

Name Size Download all
md5:2fbc3ede1ef865664a24ec0c886004b6
310 Bytes Preview Download