Abstract
The introduced Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853, considered amongst ‘100 of the world’s most invasive alien species’, has been well-documented in Europe and North America. Most recently, it was recorded in subtropical western Asia (northern Iran). Here, we report E. sinensis from Singapore; the first record of this species in the wild from the tropics. While the likelihood of establishment of this temperate species in the tropics is low, potentially high and sustained propagule pressure could still allow it to pose a potential threat to native ecosystems and biota, a scenario with precedence in Singapore. Efforts by regulatory agencies are urgently needed to monitor and prevent the introduction of this potential invasive alien species.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 73-78 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | BioInvasions Records |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their helpful comments and suggestions and that improved this short communication. The first author would like to thank Neo Mei Lin, Marcus Chua and Su Shiyu for assistance in the initial diagnosis of the crab’s identity. Support from the National University of Singapore (grant no. R-154-000-465-133) is acknowledged.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2013 The Author(s). Journal compilation. and 2013 REABIC.
Keywords
- Brachyura
- Chinese mitten crab
- Crustacea
- Eriocheir sinensis
- Invasive alien species
- Singapore
- Tropics