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Overview on the European green crab Carcinus spp. (Portunidae, Decapoda), one of the most famous marine invaders and ecotoxicological models

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 21, pages 9129–9144 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

Green crabs (Carcinus, Portunidae) include two species native to Europe—Carcinus aestuarii (Mediterranean species) and Carcinus maenas (Atlantic species). These small shore crabs (maximal length carapace, approximately 10 cm) show rapid growth, high fecundity, and long planktonic larval stages that facilitate broad dispersion. Carcinus spp. have a high tolerance to fluctuations of environmental factors including oxygen, salinity, temperature, xenobiotic compounds, and others. Shipping of Carcinus spp. over the past centuries has resulted in its invasions of America, Asia, and Australia. Classified as one of the world’s 100 worst invaders by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Carcinus spp. are the most widely distributed intertidal crabs in the world. Their voracious predatory activity makes them strong interactors in local communities, and they are recognized as a model for invasiveness in marine systems as well as a sentinel species in ecotoxicology. This review shows an exhaustive analysis of the literature on the life cycle, diversity, physiological tolerance, genomic investigations, ecotoxicological use, historical invasion, control programs, and putative economical valorization of shore crabs.

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Acknowledgments

Kali Esancy (University of Washington, USA) and Sylvia Anton (Université d’Angers, France) are gratefully acknowledged for English corrections on this article.

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  1. Laboratoire Mer-Molécules-Sante, Université du Maine, Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans, France

    V. Leignel, S. Baringou & R. Thabet

  2. Romberg Tiburon Center and Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, CA, 94920, USA

    J. H. Stillman

  3. Laboratoire Mer-Molécules-Sante, Université Catholique de l’Ouest, 3 Place André Leroy, 49008, Angers, France

    I. Metais

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  1. V. Leignel
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  2. J. H. Stillman
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  3. S. Baringou
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  4. R. Thabet
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  5. I. Metais
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Correspondence to V. Leignel.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Leignel, V., Stillman, J.H., Baringou, S. et al. Overview on the European green crab Carcinus spp. (Portunidae, Decapoda), one of the most famous marine invaders and ecotoxicological models. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 9129–9144 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2979-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-2979-4

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