Skip to main content

Management and conservation of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi (Crustacea: Gecarcinidae) based on environmental and fishery factors: a case study in Brazil

Wetlands Ecology and Management volume 30, pages 389–403 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

A mangrove ecosystem encompasses two environments, a larger flooding area with a characteristic wetland forest, and a less flooded area, more saline with little or no vegetation cover, known as hypersaline tidal flats (apicuns). Cardisoma guanhumi is a non-abundant, semi-terrestrial crab that lives mainly in apicuns. This environment is smaller and less impacted in comparison with mangrove forests. This study aims to investigate the spatial relation between apicuns and mangroves as a habitat extent of C. guanhumi along the Brazilian coast and its implications on fishery management and conservation status of this species in Brazil. The study was based on apicum and mangrove extent maps of the Brazilian coast. The maps were analyzed based on variations in latitude and environmental and socio-political aspects. Along the Brazilian coast, we found 11,721 km2 of mangroves and 402 km2 of apicuns. The habitat of C. guanhumi varied greatly with latitude and is interdependent of mangrove ecosystem. This latitudinal gradient and the apicum-mangrove relation suggest the need for different management strategies of this fishery species along the Brazilian coast. Such strategies should be used to maintain the population of C. guanhumi in sizes that guarantee its conservation and recovery aiming to remove this species from the category of vulnerable in the Brazilian red list of threatened species.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

References

  • Ackermann G, Alexandre F, Andrieu J, Mering C, Ollivier C (2006) Dynamique des paysages et perspectives de développement durable sur la petite côte et dans de delta du Sine - Saloum (Sénégal). VertigO 7(2):1–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Albuquerque AGBM, Ferreira TO, Cabral RL, Nóbrega GN, Romero RE, Meireles AJA, Otero XL (2014) Hypersaline tidal flats (apicum ecosystems): the weak link in the tropical wetlands chain. Environ Rev 22(2):99–109. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2013-0026

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alves RRN, Nishida AK (2003) Aspectos socioeconômicos e percepção ambiental dos catadores de caranguejo-uçá Ucides cordatus cordatus (L. 1763) (Decapoda, Brachyura) do estuário do rio Mamanguape, nordeste do Brasil. Interciencia 28(1):36–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Amaral ACZ, Jablonski S (2005) Conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity in Brazil. Conserv Biol 19(3):625–631

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Amaral MRX, Albrecht M, McKinley AS, Carvalho AMF, Sousa Júnior SC, Diniz FM (2015) Mitochondrial DNA variation reveals a sharp genetic break within the distribution of the blue land crab Cardisoma guanhumi in the Western Central Atlantic. Molecules 20:15158–15174

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barboza RSL, Neumann-Leitão S, Barboza MSL, Batista-Leite LMA (2008) ‘Fui no mangue catar lixo, pegar caranguejo, conversar com o urubu’: Estudo socioeconômico dos catadores de caranguejo no litoral norte de Pernambuco. Revista Brasileira De Engenharia De Pesca 3(2):117–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigarella JJ (1947) Estudos preliminares na Série Açungui. I. Brecha calcária de Toquinhas. Arq Biol Tecnol 2:41–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigarella JJ (2001) Contribuição ao estudo da planície litorânea do estado do Paraná. Braz Arch Biol Technol 1946–2001:65–110

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Botelho ERO, Santos MCF, Souza JRB (2001) Aspectos populacionais do guaiamum, Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille, 1825, do estuário do rio Una (Pernambuco – Brasil). Boletim Técnico Científico Do CEPENE 9(1):123–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Branco JO (1993) Aspectos bioecológicos do caranguejo Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus 1763) (Crustacea, Decapoda) do manguezal do Itacorubi, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Arq De Biol e Tecnol 36(1):133–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Brasil (2012) Medida Provisória N° 571, de 25 de maio de 2012 que dispõe sobre a proteção da vegetação nativa. https://www.congressonacional.leg.br/materias/medidas-provisorias/-/mpv/105799. Accessed 8 June 2020.

  • Carmona-Suárez C (2011) Present status of Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille, 1828 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae) populations in Venezuela. Interciencia 36(12):908–913

    Google Scholar 

  • Cintrón G, Lugo AE, Pool DJ, Morris G (1978) Mangroves of arid environments in Puerto Rico and adjacent islands. Biotropica 10(2):110–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa-Neto EM (2007) O caranguejo-de-água-doce, Trichodactylus fluviatilis (Latreille, 1828) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Trichodactylidae), na concepção dos moradores do povoado de Pedra Branca, Bahia Brasil. Biotemas 20(1):59–68

    Google Scholar 

  • Costlow JD Jr, Bookhout CG (1968) The effect of environmental factors on development of the land-grab Cardisoma Guanhumi Latreille. Am Zool 8(3):399–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuesta JA, Anger K (2005) Larval morphology and salinity tolerance of a land crab from West Africa, Cardisoma armatum (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Gecarcinidae). J Crustac Biol 25:640–654. https://doi.org/10.1651/C-2551.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dias-Neto, J. 2011. Proposta do Plano Nacional de Gestão para o uso sustentável do caranguejo-uçá, do guaiamum e do siri azul. Brasília: IBAMA

  • Falcão CBR, Pinheiro MAA, Torres R, Adam ML (2020) Spatial-temporal genome damaging in the blue crab Cardisoma guanhumi as ecological indicators for monitoring tropical estuaries. Mar Pollut Bull. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111232

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira EM, Mourão JS, Rocha PD, Nascimento DM, Bezerra DMMSQ (2009) Folk classification of the crabs and swimming crabs (Crustacea – Brachyura) of the Mamanguape river estuary, Northeastern – Brazil. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-5-22

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Firmo AMS, Tognella MMP, Silva SR, Barboza RRRD, Alves RRN (2012) Capture and commercialization of blue land crabs (‘guaiamum’) Cardisoma guanhumi (Latreille, 1825) along the coast of Bahia State, Brazil: an ethnoecological approach. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-8-12

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fontes RFC, Castro BM, Beardsley RC (2008) Numerical study of circulation on the inner Amazon Shelf. Ocean Dyn 58:187–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fontes RFC, Ciotti AM, Castro BM (2011) Hydrodynamic influences on fluid mud distribution in the Amazon subaqueous delta. In: Manning AJ (ed) Sediment transport in aquatic environments. InTech, Rijeka, pp 263–276

    Google Scholar 

  • FWC. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (2012) Florida’s wildlife legacy initiative: Florida’s State wildlife action plan. Tallahassee, Florida, USA. https://climatechange.lta.org/wp-content/uploads/cct/2015/03/FLStateWildlifeActionPlan.pdf. Accessed 16 June 2020.

  • Gama-Maia DJ, Torres RA (2016) Fine-scale genetic structuring, divergent selection, and conservation prospects for the overexploited crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) in tropical mangroves from North-eastern Brazil. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 96(8):1677–1686

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govender Y, Thomlinson JR (2010) Changes in landuse/landcover affect distribution and habitat of the land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi (Gecarcinidae, Decapoda) in two estuaries in Puerto Rico. Carib J Sci 46(2–3):258–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Govender Y, Sabat AM, Cuevas E (2008) Effects of land-use/land-cover changes on land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi, abundance in Puerto Rico. J Trop Ecol 24(4):417–423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hadlich GM, Ucha JM, Celino JJ (2008) Apicuns da baía de Todos os Santos: distribuição espacial, descrição e caracterização física e química. In: Queiroz AFS, Celino JJ (eds) Avaliação de Ambientes na Baía de Todos os Santos: Aspectos Geoquímicos, Geofísicos e Biológicos. UFBA, Salvador, pp 59–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadlich GM, Celino JJ, Ucha JM (2010) Diferenciação físico-química entre apicuns, manguezais e encostas na baía de Todos os Santos, Nordeste Do Brasil. Geociências 29(4):633–641

    Google Scholar 

  • Henning HG (1975) Kampf-, fortpflanzungs- und häutungsverhalten-wachstum und geschlechtsreife von Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille (Crustacea, Brachyura). Forma Et Functio 8(1):463–510

    Google Scholar 

  • Herreid CF II, Gifford CA (1963) The burrow habitat of the land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi (Latreille). Ecology 44(4):773–775

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICMBio. Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (2018a) Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção. Vol. I – Geral. ICMBio/MMA, Brasília

  • ICMBio. Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (2018b) Livro Vermelho da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçada de Extinção. Vol. VII – Invertebrados. ICMBio/MMA, Brasília

  • ICMBio (2018c) Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade. Atlas dos Manguezais do Brasil. ICMBio/MMA, Brasília.

  • Klein AH, Short AD (2016) Brazilian beach systems: introduction. In: Short AD, Klein AHF (eds) Brazilian beach systems. Springer, Cham, pp 1–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Knoppers B, Ekau W, Figueiredo AG (1999) The coast and shelf of east and northeast Brazil and material transport. Geo-Mar Lett 19:171–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krauss KW, McKee KL, Lovelock CE, Cahoon DR, Saintilan N, Reef R, Chen L (2014) How mangrove forests adjust to rising sea level. New Phytol 202:19–34. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12605

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lima JF, Alves STM, Fernandes MEB, Vieira IM (2009) First records of Cardisoma guanhumi (Decapoda, Brachyura, Gecarcinidae) from the coast of Brazilian Amazonia. Crustaceana 82:1463–1468

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magris RA, Barreto R (2010) Mapping and assessment of protection of mangrove habitats in Brazil. Pan-Am J Aquat Sci 5(4):546–556

    Google Scholar 

  • Meireles AJA, Cassola RS, Tupinambá SV, Queiroz LS (2007) Impactos ambientais decorrentes das atividades da carcinicultura ao longo do litoral cearense, nordeste do Brasil. Mercator - Revista De Geografia Da UFC 12(6):83–106

    Google Scholar 

  • MMA, Ministério do Meio Ambiente (2014) Portaria nº 445, de 17 de dezembro de 2014. Lista Nacional das Espécies da Fauna Brasileira Ameaçadas de Extinção – Peixes e Invertebrados Aquáticos. https://www.mma.gov.br/biodiversidade/conservacao-de-especies/gest%C3%A3o-sustent%C3%A1vel-da-pesca.html. Accessed 16 June 2020.

  • Nascimento WR Jr, Souza-Filho PWM, Proisy C, Lucas RM, Rosenqvist A (2013) Mapping changes in the largest continuous Amazonian mangrove belt using object-based classification of multisensor satellite imagery. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 117:83–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novais WRR, Carvalho FL, Couto ECG (2021) Conservation of the endangered blue land crab Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille in Latreille, Le Peletier, Serville & Guérin, 1828 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae) in Brazil: optimal habitats and environmental factors. J Crustac Biol 41(2):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruab011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira-Neto JF, Batista E, Metri R, Metri CB (2014) Local distribution and abundance of Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille, 1928 (Brachyura: Gecarcinidae) in southern Brazil. Braz J Biol 74(1):1–7

    CAS  PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinder AW, Smits AW (1993) The burrow microhabitat of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi: Respiratory/ionic conditions and physiological responses of crabs to hypercapnia. Physiol Biochem Zool 66(2):216–236

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinheiro MAA, Fiscarelli AG (2001) Manual de apoio à fiscalização do caranguejo-uçá (Ucides cordatus). IBAMA, Itajaí

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinheiro MAA, Santana W, Rodrigues ES, Ivo CTC, Santos LCM, Torres RA, Boos H, Dias-Neto J (2016) Avaliação dos caranguejos gecarcinídeos (Decapoda: Gecarcinidae). In: Pinheiro MAA, Boos H (eds) Livro Vermelho dos Crustáceos do Brasil: Avaliação 2010–2014. Sociedade Brasileira de Carcinologia, Porto Alegre, pp 167–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez Fourquet C, Sabat AM (2009) Effect of harvesting, vegetation structure and composition on the abundance and demography of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi in Puerto Rico. Wetlands Ecol Manag 17(6):627–640

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos MCF, Ribeiro FP (2019a) Manejo da pesca do guaiamum: uma alternativa para conservação das áreas de apicum do nordeste oriental brasileiro. Revista CEPSUL 8:e2019004. https://doi.org/10.37002/revistacepsul.vol8.861e2019004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos MCF, Ribeiro FP (2019b) Manejo da pesca do guaiamum: uma alternativa para conservação das áreas de apicum do nordeste oriental brasileiro. Revista CEPSUL - Biodiversidade e Conservação Marinha 8:e2019004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos LCM, Matos HR, Schaeffer-Novelli Y, Cunha-Lignon M, Bitencourt MD, Koedam N, Dahdouh-Guebas F (2014) Anthropogenic activities on mangrove areas (São Francisco river estuary, Brazil Northeast): a GIS-based analysis of CBERS and SPOT images to aid in local management. Ocean Coast Manag 89:39–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos LCM, Rollo MM Jr, Costa TM, Pinheiro MAA, Dadouh-Guebas F, Bitencourt MD (2016) Spatial analysis of a coastal area for conservation and fishery of mangrove edible crab (Ucides cordatus). J Coast Res 75:685–689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos LCM, Gasalla MA, Dahdouh-Guebas F, Bitencourt MD (2017) Socio-ecological assessment for environmental planning in coastal fishery areas: a case study in Brazilian mangroves. Ocean Coast Manag 138:60–69

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaeffer-Novelli, Y (2002) Manguezal, marisma e apicum (Diagnóstico Preliminar). In: MMA/SBF (ed) Avaliações e Ações Prioritárias para Conservação da Biodiversidade das Zonas Costeira e Marinha. MMA, Brasília

  • Schaeffer-Novelli Y, Cintrón-Molero G, Adaime RR, Camargo TM (1990) Variability of the mangrove ecosystem along the Brazilian coast. Estuaries 13(2):204–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaeffer-Novelli Y, Soriano-Sierra EJ, Vale CC, Bernini E, Rovai AS, Pinheiro MAA, Schmidt AJ, Almeida R, Coelho Júnior C, Menghini RP, Martinez DI, Abuchahla GMO, Cunha-Lignon M, Charlier-Sarubo S, Shirazawa-Freitas J, Cintrón-Molero G (2016) Climate changes in mangrove forests and salt marshes. Braz J Oceanogr 64(2):83–98

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt AJ, Bemvenuti CE, Diele K (2013) Sobre a definição da zona de apicum e sua importância ecológica para populações de caranguejo-uçá Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763). Boletim Técnico Científico CEPENE 19(1):9–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Silas EG, Sankarankutty C (1960) On the castle building habit of the crab Cardisoma carnifex (Herbst) (family Gecarcinidae), of the Andaman Islands. J Mar Biol Assoc India 2(2):237–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Silva AP, Silva JB, Silva-Araújo ED (2020) Marisma, Manguezal (Mangue e Apicum): Ecossistemas de Transição Terra-Mar do Brasil. Revista Brasileira De Geografia Física 13(2):727–742. https://doi.org/10.26848/rbgf.v13.2.p727-742

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Souto FJB (2007) Uma abordagem etnoecológica da pesca do caranguejo, Ucides cordatus, Linnaeus, 1763 (Decapoda: Brachyura), no manguezal do Distrito de Acupe (Santo Amaro-BA). Biotemas 20(1):69–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Souza CA, Duarte LFA, João MCA, Pinheiro MAA (2018) Biodiversidade e conservação dos manguezais: importância bioecológica e econômica. In: Pinheiro MAA, Talamoni ACB (eds) Educação Ambiental sobre Manguezais. UNESP, São Vicente, pp 16–56

    Google Scholar 

  • Spalding M, Kainuma M, Collins L (2010) World atlas of Mangroves. Earthscan, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Taissoun EN (1974) El cangrejo de tierra Cardisoma guanhumi (Latreille) en Venezuela: Distribución, ecología, biología y evaluación poblacional. Boletín Del Centro De Investigaciones Biológicas 10:1–50

    Google Scholar 

  • Ucha JM, Santana PS, Gomes ASR, Barreto EN, Vilas-Boas GS, Ribeiro LP (2004) Apicum: gênese nos campos arenosos e degradação dos manguezais em dois municípios baianos. Educação, Tecnologia e Cultura 3:26–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Ucha JM, Hadlich GM, Celino JJ (2008) Apicum: Transição entre solos de encostas e de manguezais. Educação, Tecnologia e Cultura 5:58–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Wedes S (2004) Cardisoma guanhumi (on-line). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cardisoma_guanhumi/. Accessed 15 June 2020.

  • Wolcott TG (1988) Ecology. In: Burggren WW, McMahon BR (eds) Biology of the land crabs. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 55–96

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

To the ‘Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo’ (FAPESP) and the ‘Fundação Grupo Boticário’ (FGB) for the financial support through the Uçá Project (FAPESP/FGB Grant # 2014/50438-5) and scientific initiation scholarship to MCAJ (FAPESP Grant # 2015/19476-0). This paper was also partially funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) as part of the project titled ‘Conservação e Uso Sustentável Efetivos de Ecossistemas Manguezais no Brasil’ (BRA/07/G32). MAAP and EES would like to thank the ‘Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico’ (CNPq) for research fellowships (Grant # 303286/2016-4 and Grant # 303502/2019-3, respectively).

Funding

This paper was partially funded by ‘Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo’ (FAPESP Grant # 2015/19476-0), ‘Fundação Grupo Boticário de Proteção à Natureza’ (FGB Grant # 2014/50438-5), Global Environment Facility (BRA/07/G32), ‘Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico’ (CNPq Grant #  303286/2016-4 and # 303502/2019-3).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP), Campus São Paulo Pirituba, Av. Mutinga, 951, Jardim Santo Elias, São Paulo, SP, 05110-000, Brazil

    Luciana Cavalcanti Maia Santos

  2. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação da Biodiversidade Marinha do Sudeste e Sul (ICMBio/CEPSUL), Av. Carlos Ely Castro, 195, Itajaí, SC, 88301-445, Brazil

    Harry Boos

  3. Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA), Ed. Sede do IBAMA, SCEN, Trecho 2, Brasília, DF, 70818-900, Brazil

    Edson Eyji Sano & Daniel Moraes de Freitas

  4. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas e Ambientais, Grupo de Estudos em Biologia de Crustáceos (CRUSTA), Laboratório de Biologia da Conservação de Crustáceos e Ambientes Costeiros, Instituto de Biociências (IB), Campus do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, Parque Bitaru, São Vicente, SP, 11330-900, Brazil

    Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro

Authors
  1. Luciana Cavalcanti Maia Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Harry Boos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Edson Eyji Sano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Daniel Moraes de Freitas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcelo Antonio Amaro Pinheiro.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have not disclosed any competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Santos, L.C.M., Boos, H., Sano, E.E. et al. Management and conservation of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi (Crustacea: Gecarcinidae) based on environmental and fishery factors: a case study in Brazil. Wetlands Ecol Manage 30, 389–403 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-022-09868-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-022-09868-2

Keywords

  • Apicum
  • Coastal ecosystem
  • Conservation
  • Small-scale fishery