Atlantic Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus)

Atlantic Blue Crabs (Callinectes Sapidus) inhabit estuaries, river mouths, and calm embayments with muddy or sandy bottoms. They tolerate wide salinity shifts, moving toward higher-salinity water to spawn and back into brackish creeks to feed. Historical collections confirm this species from Dominica; typical local settings would be broad, sheltered bays and main estuaries such as the Indian River, with easy orientation via Portsmouth Port and nearby Cabrits Marine Reserve.

Identification, diet and behavior

Adults usually measure 12–18 cm carapace width (large individuals to about 23 cm). The shell bears nine lateral teeth per side with a long outer spine; the last pair of legs are flattened like oars. Males show bright blue claws; mature females have red-tipped claws. A powerful swimmer and digger, the crab hunts small bivalves, polychaete worms, shrimps, amphipods, and juvenile fish, and readily scavenges carrion, linking nearshore food webs within marine ecosystems and everyday wildlife along the coast.

Breeding and seasonality; sightings

Mating occurs when the female molts; males cradle soft females until the shell hardens. In tropical waters, egg-bearing females can be found through much of the year, often peaking seasonally. Females typically migrate toward inlet mouths to release millions of eggs; larvae develop offshore through several zoeal stages before returning as megalopa and settling in quiet, shallow habitats. For viewing, time short walks or shallow snorkels for late afternoon into evening on calm days, scanning sand tongues and channel margins for quick sprints followed by a shallow dig that leaves only the eyes exposed.