A swimming crab with bright blue claws and a sturdy diamond-shaped shell. The Chesapeake Bay blue crab fishery is one of the most economically important on the East Coast — and one of the most stressed.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
Callinectes sapidus, commonly known as the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and introduced internationally.
Source: Wikipedia — Callinectes sapidus Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Bright blue claws; rust-tinged carapace with spines on front edge; paddle-shaped swim legs.
Similar species. Stone Crab (orange claws). Other portunid crabs (different proportions).
Voice. Silent.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Omnivorous: clams, mussels, snails, dead fish, plants, smaller crabs (cannibalism common).
Behavior. Among most economically important commercial crabs. Chesapeake Bay fishery has been historically dominant. Voracious estuarine omnivore.
§ Range
Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Argentina; Gulf of Mexico
§ Habitat
Estuaries, brackish bays, river mouths
§ Threats
Chesapeake Bay water quality decline, overfishing, climate-driven warming, habitat loss.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the atlantic blue crab is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Buy MSC-certified blue crab. Reduce lawn fertilizer runoff (Bay-friendly). Support Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Callinectes sapidus
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Callinectes sapidus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 169672
- iNaturalist · taxon 61015
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Callinectes sapidus
§ Sources cited
- Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Maryland Department of Natural Resources
- NOAA Fisheries
- IUCN Red List 2011
