A large population of king crabs in Palmer Deep on the west Antarctic Peninsula shelf and potential invasive impacts

LDEO Publication: 
Yes
Publication Type: 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Journal Title: 
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
ISSN Number: 
0962-8452 1471-2954
LDEO Publication Number: 
7492
Abstract: 

Lithodid crabs (and other skeleton-crushing predators) may have been excluded from cold Antarctic continental shelf waters for more than 14 Myr. The west Antarctic Peninsula shelf is warming rapidly and has been hypothesized to be soon invaded by lithodids. A remotely operated vehicle survey in Palmer Deep, a basin 120 km onto the Antarctic shelf, revealed a large, reproductive population of litho- dids, providing the first evidence that king crabs have crossed the Antarctic shelf. DNA sequencing and morphology indicate the lithodid is Neolithodes yaldwyni Ahyong & Dawson, previously reported only from Ross Sea waters. We estimate a N. yaldwyni population density of 10 600 km22 and a population size of 1.55

DOI: 
10.1098/rspb.2011.1496