Report of Callinectes Stimpson, 1860 (Crustacea, Brachyura, Portunidae) in estuaries of the brazilian Amazon

Resumo

Crabs of the genus Callinectes Stimpson, 1860 are economically exploited crustaceans in estuaries and bays throughout the American continent. In this study, the specimens were captured monthly from October/2011 to December/2012, by trawling in the estuaries of the municipalities Vigia de Nazaré, Salinópolis and Bragança. Four species of crabs were identified: Callinectes bocourti A. Milne-Edwards, 1879, Callinectes danae Smith, 1869, Callinectes exasperatus (Gerstaecker, 1856) and Callinectes ornatus Ordway, 1863. C. bocourti was the most represented species, contributing with 72% of the total catch. Males represented 64.72% of the analyzed samples and C. exasperatus was the most representative of the number of females captured. The study registered the first occurrence of C. exasperatus in estuaries of the Brazilian Amazon.