Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Arthropoda > Subphylum Crustacea > Superclass Multicrustacea > Class Malacostraca > Subclass Eumalacostraca > Superorder Eucarida > Order Decapoda > Suborder Pleocyemata > Infraorder Brachyura > Section Eubrachyura > Subsection Heterotremata > Superfamily Portunoidea > Family Portunidae > Subfamily Portuninae > Genus Callinectes

Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Callinectes*	Stimpson, 1860	accepted genus name

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Danish: Blå svømmekrabbe sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Dutch: blauwe krab; blauwe zwemkrab sources: Adema, J.P.H.M. (1991). De krabben van Nederland en Belgie (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) [The crabs of the Netherlands and Belgium (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura)]. Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum: Leiden, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-73239-02-8. 244 pp.

English: American blue crab; blue crab; blue swimming crab; Chesapeake Bay swimming crab; hardshell crab; hardshell or softshell crab; softshell crab sources: Dewarumez, J.-M.; Gévaert, F.; Massé, C.; Foveau, A.; Desroy, N.; Grulois, D. (2011). Les espèces marines animales et végétales introduites dans le bassin Artois-Picardie . UMR CNRS 8187 LOG/Agence de l'Eau Artois-Picardie: Douai. 138 pp.;North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS);Bermuda Biodiversity Database;Cole, T. C. H. (2017). Wörterbuch der Wirbellosen / Dictionary of Invertebrates. Latein-Deutsch-English. 2017. Springer Spektrum: Berlin. ISBN 978-3-662-52869-3. XII, 574 pp.

French: crabe bleu; crabe savoureux sources: Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.;National General Status Working Group [Groupe de travail national sur la situation générale]. (2017). Standardized Common Names for Wild Species in Canada [Noms communs normalisés pour les espèces sauvages au Canada].

German: blaue Schwimmkrabbe; Blaukrabbe sources: VLIZ. (2016). Wetenschappelijke en handelsbenamingen voor visserij- en aquacultuurproducten op de Belgische markt. VLIZ Beleidsinformerende Nota's, BIN 2016_001. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Oostende. 28 + Annex. pp.

Greek: Γαλαζοκάβουρας sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Italian: granchio blu; granchio reale

Japanese: アオガザミ／アオガニ sources: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. (2009 onwards). Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL). Accessed on 2018-11-21.

Portuguese: siri-azul; siri-tinga

Spanish, Castillian: cangrejo azul; jaiba

Literature

original description	Rathbun, M. J. (1896). The genus Callinectes. Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 18(1070): 349-375, Pls. XIII-XXVIII.
basis of record	Türkay, M. (2001). Decapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 284-292
additional source	Zenetos, A., M.E. Cinar, M.A. Pancucci-Papadopoulou, J.G. Harmelin, G. Furnari, F. Andaloro, N. Bellou, N. Streftaris & H. Zibrowius. (2005). Annotated list of marine alien species in the Mediterranean with records of the worst invasive species. Mediterranean Marine Science. 6 (2): 63-118.
additional source	Meinkoth, N. A. (1981). Field guide to North American seashore creatures. The Audubon Society. 1-799.
additional source	Felder, D. L., Álvarez. F.,Goy, J.W. & Lemaitre, R. (2009). Decapoda (Crustacea) of the Gulf of Mexico, with comments on the Amphionidacea,. Felder, D.L., and Camp, D.K. (eds), Gulf of Mexico - Origins, Waters, and Biota. Vol. 1. Biodiversity. Pp. 1019–1104 (Texas A&M University Press: College Station, Texas).
additional source	Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
additional source	Pollock, L.W. (1998). A practical guide to the marine animals of northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, New Jersey & London. 367 pp.
additional source	Zenetos, A., S. Gofas, M. Verlaque, M. Cinar, J. Garcia Raso, C. Bianchi, C. Morri, E. Azzurro, M. Bilecenoglu, C. Froglia, I. Siokou, D. Violanti, A. Sfriso, G. San Martin, A. Giangrande, T. Katagan, E. Ballesteros, A. Ramos-Espla, F. Mastrototaro, O. Ocana, A. Zingone, M,. Gambi & N. Streftaris. (2010). Alien species in the Mediterranean Sea by 2010. A contribution to the application of European Union's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Part I. Spatial distribution. Mediterranean Marine Science. 11(2): 381-493.
additional source	Occhipinti-Ambrogi, A., A. Marchini, G. Cantone, A. Castelli, C. Chimenz, M. Cormaci, C. Froglia, G. Furnari, M.C. Gambi, G. Giaccone, A. Giangrande, C. Gravil, F. Mastrototaro, C. Mazziotti, L. Orsi-Relini & S. Piraino. (2010). Alien species along the Italian coasts: an overview. Biological Invasions. 13(1): 215-237.
additional source	Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France. 307 pp.
additional source	Adema, J.P.H.M. (1991). De krabben van Nederland en Belgie (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura) [The crabs of the Netherlands and Belgium (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura)]. Nationaal Natuurhistorisch Museum: Leiden, The Netherlands. ISBN 90-73239-02-8. 244 pp.
additional source	Galil, B. (2007). Seeing Red: Alien species along the Mediterranean coast of Israel. Aquatic Invasions. 2(4): 281-312.
additional source	Marchini, A., J. Ferrario, A. Sfriso & A. Occhipinti-Ambrogi. (2015). Current status and trends of biological invasions in the Lagoon of Venice, a hotspot of marine NIS introductions in the Mediterranean Sea. Biological Invasions. 17:2943–2962.
additional source	Streftaris, N., A. Zenetos & E. Papathanassiou. (2005). Globalisation in marine ecosystems: the story of non-indigenous marine species across European seas. Oceanogry and Marine Biology: an Annual Review. 43: 419-453.

Genbank

Citation

DecaNet eds. (2025). DecaNet. Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896. Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:107379