First record of the swimming crab Charybdis (Archias) hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) (Portunidae) in the Atlantic
First record of the swimming crab Charybdis (Archias) hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) (Portunidae) in the Atlantic
Portunid crabs of the genus Charybdis De Haan, 1833 are among the most frequently reported marine invaders worldwide. Here, we report the first record of Charybdis (Archias) hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) outside its native Indo-West Pacific range, collected from the Test Estuary, Southampton Water, United Kingdom. Morphological and molecular analyses confirm the specimen’s identity and clarify diagnostic features useful for distinguishing C. (A.) hoplites from closely related taxa. This represents the northernmost record of any Charybdis species and suggests a long-distance dispersal event, associated with shipping activities in the Port of Southampton. Environmental data indicate that salinity and turbidity at the collection site are within known tolerances for Charybdis spp., although low winter temperatures may limit survival and establishment. The detection of this warm-water species in a major international port highlights the ongoing need to monitor non-native marine fauna.
Southampton Water, United Kingdom, ballast water, invasive species, swimming crab
Goatley, Christopher
b158dc1a-76f3-4ace-9d33-260d8c76ac93
Seaby, Richard
78c9c5d7-5b2d-436b-ad89-1a771ac0e536
Somes, Robin
36eb318a-2409-4f36-ba8a-7d21ced0e754
Kamanli, Seyit
af84d88c-eb35-4aa3-a529-2e0c1fc29d8f
Clark, Brett
2e267f9d-5e0a-445c-80aa-c349f441773e
Clark, Paul F.
3a4351b9-e3ea-441f-82ed-de609c23a12f
5 February 2026
Goatley, Christopher
b158dc1a-76f3-4ace-9d33-260d8c76ac93
Seaby, Richard
78c9c5d7-5b2d-436b-ad89-1a771ac0e536
Somes, Robin
36eb318a-2409-4f36-ba8a-7d21ced0e754
Kamanli, Seyit
af84d88c-eb35-4aa3-a529-2e0c1fc29d8f
Clark, Brett
2e267f9d-5e0a-445c-80aa-c349f441773e
Clark, Paul F.
3a4351b9-e3ea-441f-82ed-de609c23a12f
Goatley, Christopher, Seaby, Richard, Somes, Robin, Kamanli, Seyit, Clark, Brett and Clark, Paul F.
(2026)
First record of the swimming crab Charybdis (Archias) hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) (Portunidae) in the Atlantic.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 106, [e19].
(doi:10.1017/S0025315426101131).
Abstract
Portunid crabs of the genus Charybdis De Haan, 1833 are among the most frequently reported marine invaders worldwide. Here, we report the first record of Charybdis (Archias) hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) outside its native Indo-West Pacific range, collected from the Test Estuary, Southampton Water, United Kingdom. Morphological and molecular analyses confirm the specimen’s identity and clarify diagnostic features useful for distinguishing C. (A.) hoplites from closely related taxa. This represents the northernmost record of any Charybdis species and suggests a long-distance dispersal event, associated with shipping activities in the Port of Southampton. Environmental data indicate that salinity and turbidity at the collection site are within known tolerances for Charybdis spp., although low winter temperatures may limit survival and establishment. The detection of this warm-water species in a major international port highlights the ongoing need to monitor non-native marine fauna.
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first-record-of-the-swimming-crab-charybdis-archias-hoplites-wood-mason-1877-portunidae-in-the-atlantic
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 19 January 2026
Published date: 5 February 2026
Keywords:
Southampton Water, United Kingdom, ballast water, invasive species, swimming crab
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 509772
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/509772
ISSN: 0025-3154
PURE UUID: 2d83f20b-9b9f-48c6-858e-3d67328b9241
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Date deposited: 04 Mar 2026 17:53
Last modified: 07 Mar 2026 04:12
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Contributors
Author:
Christopher Goatley
Author:
Richard Seaby
Author:
Robin Somes
Author:
Seyit Kamanli
Author:
Brett Clark
Author:
Paul F. Clark
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