Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758)

Santín, Andreu, Aguilar, Ricardo, Akyol, Okan, Begburs, Cenkmen Ramazan, Benoit, Laure, Crocetta, Giovanni Chimienti Fabio, Dalyan, Cem, Rubio, Antonio De La Linde, Dragičević, Branko, Dulčić, Jakov, Giglio, Gianni, Gönülal, Onur, Kebapcioglu, Turhan, Kesici, Nur Bikem, Kiparissis, Sotiris, Kousteni, Vasiliki, Mancini, Emanuele, Mastrototaro, Francesco, Menut, Thomas, Montesanto, Federica, Peristeraki, Panagiota, Poursanidis, Dimitris, Renoult, Julien P., Sánchez-Tocino, Luis, Sperone, Emilio & Tiralongo, Francesco, 2021, New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea (March 2021), Mediterranean Marine Science 22 (1), pp. 199-217 : 207

1.5. Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758) expands its range along the Mediterranean coasts: first record from the Tyrrhenian Sea and a new record from the Ionian Sea

Francesco TIRALONGO and Emanuele MANCINI

Crabs of the family Ocypodidae Rafinesque, 1815 are semi-terrestrial species, common on sandy beaches and on mudflats of tropical, subtropical and temperate waters worldwide. These crabs are characterized by a narrow front, long eyestalks and smooth (or ridged) dactyls in walking legs. In the Mediterranean Sea, Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758) is the only member of the Ocypodidae family (Strachan et al., 1999). Furthermore, it represents a protected taxon ( Deidun et al., 2017). In Sicily mainland, the species was recorded for the first time in 2009 at Sampieri, subsequently expanding its range along the entire south coast and in the southeastern one ( Relini, 2009; Mytilineou et al., 2016; Deidun et al., 2017; Tiralongo et al., 2020c). We present the first records of the species for Calabria, with the first record from the Tyrrhenian Sea (northwesternmost record in the Mediterranean Sea) and a new record from the Ionian Sea. On 24 th July 2020, an adult specimen of O. cursor was observed at Palmi (Southwestern Calabria, Tyrrhenian Sea, 38.39467° N, 15.86195° E) ( Fig. 6A ). On 26 th July 2020, several specimens (juveniles and adults) and burrows of O. cursor were observed at the beach of Pizzo Greco, north to Capo Rizzuto (eastern Calabria, Ionian Sea, 38.92192° N, 17.12420° E) ( Fig. 6 B-C). The present records increase the knowledge on the distribution of the species in Italy and in the Mediterranean Sea. After the 2016, the species undergone a rapid expansion of its range along Italian coasts, where in a few years it was recorded in several locations of the southern and southeastern coast of Sicily and in Apulia (Tiralongo et al., 2020c). Moreover, while along the Ionian coast of Calabria the species was observed on sand with a similar granulometry to that observed in Sicily and Apulia, in the Tyrrhenian Sea the species was observed on coarser sand. These observations suggest that O. cursor is able to adapt to a habitat with suboptimal conditions were digging holes can be harder than on thinner sand. Further studies are necessary in order to better understand the expanding dynamics of this semi-terrestrial species in the Mediterranean Sea. However, considering its colonization success, it is probable that in a few years this species will expands in several new Mediterranean areas.

Medit. Mar. Sci., 22/1, 2021, 199-217 207

Figures

Fig. 6: A) The specimen of Ocypode cursor observed at Palmi, southern Tyrrhenian Sea.A specimen (B) and holes (C) of O. cursor observed at Pizzo Greco, northern Ionian Sea.