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NUMBER: 20221109
SPECIES: Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896[1]
SPECIMEN: 1 rare all-blue color variant
OTHER NAMES: Atlantic Blue Crab, Chesapeake Blue Crab,
DATE, TIME: 9 November 2022, 3:37 AM
LOCALITY: Near Cobb Island, Chesapeake Bay
LATIDUE, LONGITUDE: 38.254184, -76.841929
DISTRIBUTION: Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from Nova Scotia through the Gulf of Mexico and to Uruguay.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Ornate Blue Crab, Calinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863 appears the same, but adults are smaller than shown, and have 6, not 4 frontial teeth on the carapace.
OBSERVERS: Dr. Ernest H. Williams, Jr.,[2,3,5,6] and Dr. Lucy Bunkley-Williams[2,4,5,7]
REFERENCES:
<>Anonymous. 2023. Delaware Surf Fishing. This true blue crab is rare. https://www.delaware-surf-fishing.com/this-true-blue-crab-is-rare/#:~:text=A%20completely%20blue%2C%20blue%20claw,only%20commercial%20crabbers%20catch%20them.
<>Boycourt, L. 2018. All-blue Blue Crab-found in York River. Chesapeake Bay Magaine https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/all-blue-blue-crab-found-in-york-river/
<>Arena, R. 2020. True blue: Rare crab caught near Morgan City [Louisiana]. Louisiana Sportsman. Outdoor Updates. 2 November. https://www.louisianasportsman.com/outdoor-updates/true-blue-rare-crab-caught-near-morgan-city/
<>Castleberry, T. 2019. NC fisherman catches rare all-blue crab. WECT News. https://www.wect.com/2019/07/26/nc-fisherman-catches-rare-all-blue-crab/
<>Dietrich, T. 2018. York River watermen catch rare all-blue Blue Crab. Daily Press. https://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-blue-blue-crab-20180806-story.html
<>Malmquist, D. 2018. Once in a blue moon: Crabber catches rare all-blue Blue Crab. William and Marry News Archive. 31 July. https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2018/once-in-a-blue-moon-crabber-catches-rare-all-blue-blue-crab.php
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2021. The first report of an Albino/Blue Bi-hemispheric Chimera Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, chimera. iNaturalist #93671783, 4 September 2021 (open access) [602].
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2021. Partial albino Blue Crab, Calinectes sapidus Rathbun. iNaturalist #93812431, 5 September 2021 (open access) [603].
<>Williams, E. H. Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2021. Melanistic Blue Crab, Calinectes sapidus Rathbun. iNaturalist #103210867, 17 December (open access), ResearchGate [635].
<>Williams, E. H., Jr. and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2023. A rare all-blue Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, in Chesapeake Bay. iNaturalist #???, 12 June 2023 (open access), ResearchGate [849].
<>Williams, E. H., Jr., C. D. Miller, M. J. Dowgiallo, and L. Bunkley-Williams 2022. First indication of pigment incitation due to injury in the Blue Crab, Calinectus sapidus Rathburn. Research Quality Report, iNaturalist #???, 22 September (open access), ResearchGate [698]
<>Williams, E. H., Jr., C. D. Miller, M. J. Dowgiallo, and L. Bunkley-Williams. 2022. First report of completely duplicated gonopods, occurring in a Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, in Maryland. iNaturalist #141625605, ResearchGate, 8 November 2022 (open access) [711].
FOOTNOTES:
[1]Identification was peer-reviewed, text edited and usually condensed. The original text is in our reprint #815 and ResearchBase. [2]West University, South Africa; Adjunct Professors, Research Field Station, Florida Gulf Coast University, 5164 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs, FL 34134; [3]Dept. Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico (retired); [4]Dept. Biology, UPR (retired); [5]920 St. Andrews Blvd, Naples, FL 34113-8943; [6]e-mail ermest.williams1@upr.edu, ORCID 0000-0003-0913-3013; [7]e-mail lucy.williams1@upr.edu, ORCID 0000-0003-1390-911x