PORTUNIDAE, Rafinesque, 1815

Mead, A., Carlton, J. T., Griffiths, C. L. & Rius, M., 2011, Introduced and cryptogenic marine and estuarine species of South Africa, Journal of Natural History 45 (39 - 40), pp. 2463-2524 : 2490

Family PORTUNIDAE

Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758) Introduced

This crab is a well-known European introduction on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North America, in Australia, Argentina, Japan and South Africa ( Carlton and Cohen 2003). Interestingly, Carcinus maenas is restricted to sheltered, coastal sites and appears to be unable to establish on the open wave-swept coastline in South Africa ( Hampton and Griffiths 2007) as on the west coast of North America, but not on the east coast. In South Africa it is restricted to the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula (southwest coast). It was first collected from Table Bay Docks in 1983, where it has established dense populations and has decimated shellfish populations ( Robinson, Griffiths, McQuaid et al. 2005). We consider that it was probably introduced by ship fouling, ballast water or oil rigs.