New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts
DNA and morphological identification of an invasive swimming crab, Charybdis
japonica, in New Zealand waters
P. J. Smith
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research Limited
Private Bag 149 01
Wellington, New Zealand
email: p.smith@niwa.co.nz
W. R. Webber
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
P.O. Box 467
Wellington, New Zealand
S. M. McVeagh
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research Limited
Private Bag 149 01
Wellington, New Zealand
G. J. Inglis
N. Gust
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research Limited
P.O. Box 8602
Christchurch, New Zealand
Abstract Mitochondrial DNA sequences were used to identify
an invasive swimming crab found in Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand. A 457
base sequence of the cytochrome oxidase 1 gene was compared in New Zealand
specimens and nine species of Charybdis from Australia and Asia. The
New Zealand specimens aligned with C. japonica. The diagnostic morphological
characters of C. japonica were also checked in 54 specimens of the
species collected in Waitemata Harbour, and concur with the mtDNA result.
This is the first record of C. japonica establishing populations outside
its native range. C. japonica, along with C. hellerii and the
Lessepsian migrant C. longicollis, are the only known invasive species
of Charybdis. C. japonica and C. hellerii are two of
the few Charybdis species that inhabit the intertidal zone, and it
is likely that the intertidal characteristics of these species contribute
to their success as invasive species.
Keywords mtDNA sequences; cytochrome oxidase I; morphology;
Charybdis; Crustacea; Decapoda; invasive species
M03015 Received 29 April 2003; accepted 29 July 2003 ; Online publication
date 31 October 2003
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2003, Vol. 37:
753-762
0028-8330/03/3704-0753 $7.00 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2003
PDF file of entire paper: Print-quality (3819K)
| screen-quality (142K)
This year's abstracts |
Journal home page |
All abstracts |
Publishing home page
