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Figure 18. Dyspanopeus sayi (http://flickr.com/photos/50608239@N03/5378633918).

Figure 19. Distribution of Dyspanopeus sayi in Mediterranean Sea (CIESM, 2014).

Rhithropanopeus harrisii
The white-fingered mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) is a highly
successful estuarine invader and is one of the most widely distributed brachyuran
crab species globally (Roche and Torchin 2007) (Fig. 20). Rhithropanopeus harrisii has
been found in the Adriatic Sea since 1994, on the French Mediterranean coast in
2000 and on the Tunisian coast in 2003 (Roche and Torchin, 2007) (Fig. 21). Its
association with international ports in most European countries indicates that it has
been transferred with shipping, either as larvae in ballast water or as hull fouling.
Rhithropanopeus harrisii is a scavenger, feeding on detritus, algal material or
small invertebrates, including amphipods, polychaetes and bivalves (Jensen, 2010).
Evidence for negative impacts is mostly anecdotal. It may alter ecosystem
functioning by competing with native crabs, being a predator on native benthic
invertebrates, and being a prey of native predators. Rhithropanopeus harrisii is host
for the “white spot baculovirus”, which affects penaeid shrimps and blue crabs in its
native region.