Summary ⁷

Callinectes ornatus is a species of swimming crab in the genus Callinectes. It can be distinguished from the closely related Atlantic blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) by the presence of six frontal teeth on the carapace, compared with only four for C. sapidus.C. ornatus is also smaller, at a maximum carapace width of only 93 millimetres (3.7 in), compared to 230 mm (9.1 in) in C. sapidus, and is therefore not commercially exploited.

Description ⁸

The blue crab Callinectes ornatus is a decapod crustacean in the Portunidae family. It is a strong and agile swimmer powered by a pair of flat, oar shaped rear legs called swimmerets. Swimmerets allow C. ornatus to rapidly swim backwards, sideways, and sometimes forward (Barnes 1980). The color of this species varies considerably. Adult males have a carapace that is uniformly olive to dark brown with a large orange spot posteriorly that can appear round to blotchy (Gore and Grizzle 1974, Gore 1977, Williams 1984). There are distinct ivory white tips on all the spines on the front of the carapace (Gore 1977). Juveniles are not as brilliantly colored appearing olive-yellow to greenish. The length and curvature of the reproductive organs (gonopods) are distinctive in mature males for each of the Callinectes species (Gore 1977, Barnes 1980) See illustrations from Williams (1974) below.

Distribution ⁹

Bermuda; Virginia, North and South Carolina through Southern Florida; northwestern Yucatan to Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Size ¹⁰

Male Callinectes ornatus are usually slightly larger than the females measuring up to 60 mm while the female carapace can measure up to 58 mm (Williams 1984). It is unknown whether males and females have different mortality rates (Negreiros-Fransozo et al. 1999).

Reproduction ¹¹

Records of museum collections of oviparous females suggest that Callinectes ornatus spawn year-round (Williams 1984). Adult females move offshore to find temperature and/or salinity conditions that are best for spawning. One female can mate with several males during the same reproductive period (Negreiros-Fransozo et al. 1999).

Link to Access Genomic Data ¹²

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=53941&lvl=0

Sources and Credits

1. (c) bathyporeia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/14480136512/
2. (c) bathyporeia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/14270512530/
3. (c) bathyporeia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/14426554921/
4. (c) Bernadette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Bernadette
5. (c) bathyporeia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/14490958432/
6. (c) bathyporeia, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/81858878@N00/14492694043/
7. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callinectes_ornatus
8. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525783
9. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) WoRMS for SMEBD, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/28470522
10. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525789
11. Adapted by matbio from a work by (c) Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/11525788
12. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

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