Preliminary Morphometric Data on the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus (Decapoda, Portunidae) in the Maliakos Gulf, Greece

Sokrais Thalassinos¹, Stefanos Kavvadas¹, Persefoni Megalofonou², and Kostas Kapiris¹

1. Inter-Institutional Postgraduate Course (IIPGC) "Oceanography and Management of the Marine Environment", National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

2. Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Abstract: The aim of the present paper is to study the morphometry and relative growth of C. sapidus in the Maliakos Gulf, to add new data to the literature, and thus to contribute to the management of this resource. Morphometric analyses were conducted in 139 specimens of C. sapidus (106 female and 82 male) caught during the period September 2018-May 2019 in the area of Maliakos Gulf with traps. The results showed a clear sexual dimorphism in C. sapidus. Males were larger and heavier than females. The relative growth of the body parts in relation to carapace length, significant inter-sex differences.

Key words: invasive species, Crustacea, Callinectessapidus, Eastern Mediterranean