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Updated: May 9, 2026
06:48
Assessing Intertidal Populations of the Invasive European Green Crab
Published on: September 16, 2020
Antarctic crabs: invasion or endurance?
Huw J Griffiths1, Rowan J Whittle, Stephen J Roberts
1British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom. hjg@bas.ac.uk
Plos One
|July 12, 2013
Summary
Lithodid crabs are not invading Antarctica. Research shows they likely persisted and evolved in Antarctic waters, not recently re-invading due to warming. Further sampling is recommended.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Paleontology
- Antarctic research
Background:
- A hypothesis suggests lithodid crabs may invade the Antarctic shelf due to warming, potentially harming native fauna.
- This invasion hypothesis is based on limited fossil evidence and few Recent samples from the Antarctic slope.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the lithodid fossil record and analyze distribution patterns of Recent Southern Hemisphere crabs and lobsters.
- To assess the validity of the Antarctic crab invasion hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of the global lithodid fossil record, which includes only two known specimens, neither from Antarctica.
- Examination of over 16,000 Recent Southern Hemisphere crab and lobster records.
- Mapping distribution patterns, species richness, and endemism in relation to Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) and Antarctic shelf geology.
Main Results:
- Only two lithodid fossils exist globally, none from Antarctica.
- 22 species of crabs and lobsters inhabit the Southern Ocean, with 12 south of 60°S, all in waters warmer than 0°C.
- Current Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) extent on the West Antarctic shelf exceeds known lithodid ranges, despite geological evidence of shelf availability for 9,000 years.
Conclusions:
- Distribution patterns suggest lithodid crabs persisted and radiated on or near the Antarctic slope, rather than re-invading.
- There is no evidence supporting a modern-day Antarctic crab invasion.
- Targeted lithodid sampling on the West Antarctic shelf is recommended to fully test the invasion hypothesis.
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