Asian shore crab
Hemigrapsus sanguineus
FOUND by Team Rocket!2011-10-06
Falmouth
ID Confirmed
Quality checked by Ms. Hotaling
Peer reviewed by The Pink Jackets
Field Notes
Are there any Asian Shore Crabs in the intertidal zone of Town Landing?
- A lot of the bigger crabs were in the water, not on the beach or the rocks.
- There were a lot of green crabs everywhere!
- It was difficult searching just inside the quadrat.
- There were a lot of very small crabs with a square carapace and banded legs, but they were too small to identify as Asian Shore Crabs.
- If we were on the other side of the dock on Town Landing, would we have been able to find more Asian Shore Crabs?
- There were a lot of rocks in our quadrat, so we had to move many of the rocks in order to better search for the crabs.
- It was a very cloudy day and it was lightly sprinkling sometimes. It was low tide.
- We found the Asian Shore Crab under a giant rock and some seaweed and it was moving very fast. The crab was about 2 cm and it was alive. It was not reproducing, as it was a male.
- We accidentally ripped off the claw of the crab from picking it up.
- The seaweed at Town Landing was still wet from high tide.
Supporting Evidence
We think we found the Asian Shore Crab because the crab we found had 3 spines on the outside of each eye, which is a factor in identifying this species.
We also think we found the Asian Shore Crab based on the fact that the legs are banded, and the main color of the crab is brownish-red with light and dark bands on the legs.
Another reason why we thought we found the Asian Shore Crab is because of it's square shaped carapace, which is used to identify Asian Shore Crabs.
Species Observation: Species Looked For
Did you find it?:
I think I found it
Scientific name:
Hemigrapsus sanguineusCommon name:
Asian shore crab
Is it alive?:
Some dead & some alive
Count of individuals:
1-10
Coverage:
Less than 1/4 covered
Reproduction:
How big is it?:
0 - 2 cm
Is it male or female?:
Male
Sampling method:
Quadrat (user-placement)
Place Studied
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Latitude:
N 43.732310 °
Longitude:
W -70.204240 °
Observation Site Information
Name:
Team Rocket!'s visit to Falmouth Town Landing
Habitat:
Coastal - Rocky intertidal
Trip Information
Name:
Osprey Falmouth Town Landing
Trip date:
Thu, 2011-10-06 10:05
Town or city:
Falmouth
Type of investigation:
Species and Habitat Survey
Ecosystem:
Coastal
Watershed:
Presumpscot
Sampling Method:
Dock
Just looking around
Quadrat (user-placement)
Nearest waterbody:
Casco Bay
Time of high tide AM:
Time of high tide PM:
Time of low tide AM:
Thu, 2011-10-06 01:30
Time of low tide PM:
Habitat Observations
Species diversity:
8 different species
Evidence of vectors:
Boat ramp
Boats
Paved road
People
Water temperature:
16.4°C
pH:
7.5
Dissolved oxygen:
7.8mg/L
Salinity:
31.7ppt
Comments
Hemigrapsus sanguineus
Yes, this is Hemigrapsus sanguineus. Good job noticing the square carapace and 3 spines near each eye.