Integrative taxonomy reveals that Charybdis variegata (Fabricius, 1798) (Brachyura: Portunidae) has not been introduced in the South Atlantic Ocean

Author(s)

Negri, Mariana ; Mantelatto, Fernando L.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY; v. 37, n. 3, p. 278-284, MAY 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Records of non-indigenous species have been continuously increasing in the last decades, mainly as a consequence of anthropogenic activities. Identification of such species based on morphology, however, is not always accurate when few or only juvenile specimens are discovered. Accuracy is ideally best reached by comparing the morphology of specimens from native and non-native distributions integrated with molecular diagnostic methods. The portunid crab Charybdis variegata (Fabricius, 1798) was recently recorded in the Atlantic coast of Brazil based on a single juvenile female collected near Santos Harbor, Sao Paulo state. We tested the identification of this specimen using morphological and molecular data in order to verify that indeed this is a new case of a non-indigenous species that has reached the South American Atlantic coast. Using both a tree-based and genetic distance approaches, we built a phylogram and compared sequences of the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S rDNA of the juvenile specimen with those of several species of Charybdis De Haan, 1833. We also compared the morphology of the juvenile specimen with other specimens of C. variegata from its native ranges as well as with specimens of C. hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867), an invasive species well established in the western Atlantic. Morphological evidences, divergence estimates, and phylogenetic relationships indicated that the juvenile identified as C. variegata is actually C. hellerii. The presence in the juvenile of fifth pereiopods (natatory legs) having a spine on the posterior margin of carpus and the absence of ridges behind the epibranchial ridges on the carapace are characteristics of C. hellerii. These findings reinforce the need for caution when identifying non-indigenous species, because inaccurate reports of species can affect efforts to describe marine biodiversity and elaborate effective control strategies and eventual eradication. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/14245-8 - Morphological and molecular variability in the invasive species Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1876) (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) as tool to infer about its introduction history
• Grantee: Mariana Negri Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 12/06300-3 - Divesity and genetic structure of the allien swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1876) as a tool to infer on its introduction in the American coast
• Grantee: Mariana Negri Pereira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate (Direct)
• FAPESP's process: 10/50188-8 - Decapod crustaceans: multi-disciplinary characterization of the sea biodiversity of the State of São Paulo (taxonomy, spermiotaxonomy, molecular biology and population dynamics)
• Grantee: Fernando Luis Medina Mantelatto
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants