Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress
The Atlantic blue crab (<i>Callinectes sapidus</i>) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean, raising concerns over its ecological and economic impacts. This study examines the morphometric characteristics and environmental influences on <i>C. sapidus</i> populations in...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Neven Iveša Paolo Paliaga Matej Čief Petra Burić Valentina Pitacco Moira Buršić |
| author_facet | Neven Iveša Paolo Paliaga Matej Čief Petra Burić Valentina Pitacco Moira Buršić |
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| description | The Atlantic blue crab (<i>Callinectes sapidus</i>) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean, raising concerns over its ecological and economic impacts. This study examines the morphometric characteristics and environmental influences on <i>C. sapidus</i> populations in the Palud-Palù swamp (western Istrian coast) from 2022 to 2024. A total of 203 specimens were analyzed for carapace width, length, depth, and body mass, alongside monthly measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen saturation, and pH. Statistical analyses (<i>t</i>-tests, ANOVA, PCA, and RDA) revealed pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males consistently larger than females. Interannual differences in size distribution showed larger individuals in 2022, followed by a decline in 2023 and 2024, likely due to environmental stressors (e.g., salinity, temperature, hypoxia) and increased anthropogenic pressures (e.g., trapping and illegal harvesting). RDA identified temperature, oxygen saturation, and pH as key abiotic drivers of morphometric variation. These findings suggest that while <i>C. sapidus</i> demonstrates physiological plasticity, enabling its persistence in estuarine environments, its growth and invasive potential may be constrained under extreme or suboptimal local conditions. This study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and integrated management to mitigate ecological disruption in sensitive coastal ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-bbfa0276d3694e948eef07d5edba5f8f2025-08-20T03:13:44ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011514799010.3390/app15147990Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental StressNeven Iveša0Paolo Paliaga1Matej Čief2Petra Burić3Valentina Pitacco4Moira Buršić5Faculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka 30, 52100 Pula, CroatiaFaculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka 30, 52100 Pula, CroatiaFaculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka 30, 52100 Pula, CroatiaFaculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka 30, 52100 Pula, CroatiaMarine Biology Station Piran, National Institute of Biology, Fornače 41, 6330 Piran, SloveniaFaculty of Natural Sciences, Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, Zagrebačka 30, 52100 Pula, CroatiaThe Atlantic blue crab (<i>Callinectes sapidus</i>) has rapidly expanded across the Mediterranean, raising concerns over its ecological and economic impacts. This study examines the morphometric characteristics and environmental influences on <i>C. sapidus</i> populations in the Palud-Palù swamp (western Istrian coast) from 2022 to 2024. A total of 203 specimens were analyzed for carapace width, length, depth, and body mass, alongside monthly measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen saturation, and pH. Statistical analyses (<i>t</i>-tests, ANOVA, PCA, and RDA) revealed pronounced sexual dimorphism, with males consistently larger than females. Interannual differences in size distribution showed larger individuals in 2022, followed by a decline in 2023 and 2024, likely due to environmental stressors (e.g., salinity, temperature, hypoxia) and increased anthropogenic pressures (e.g., trapping and illegal harvesting). RDA identified temperature, oxygen saturation, and pH as key abiotic drivers of morphometric variation. These findings suggest that while <i>C. sapidus</i> demonstrates physiological plasticity, enabling its persistence in estuarine environments, its growth and invasive potential may be constrained under extreme or suboptimal local conditions. This study highlights the importance of long-term monitoring and integrated management to mitigate ecological disruption in sensitive coastal ecosystems.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7990decapodsinvasive speciescrustacean morphometrylength–weight relationshippopulation structuresize distribution |
| spellingShingle | Neven Iveša Paolo Paliaga Matej Čief Petra Burić Valentina Pitacco Moira Buršić Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress Applied Sciences decapods invasive species crustacean morphometry length–weight relationship population structure size distribution |
| title | Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress |
| title_full | Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress |
| title_fullStr | Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress |
| title_short | Morphometrics of the Blue Crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> Rathbun, 1896 in a Northern Adriatic Saline Marsh Under Environmental Stress |
| title_sort | morphometrics of the blue crab i callinectes sapidus i rathbun 1896 in a northern adriatic saline marsh under environmental stress |
| topic | decapods invasive species crustacean morphometry length–weight relationship population structure size distribution |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7990 |
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