Eriocheir spp.

Basic information
Scientific name	Eriocheir spp.	Click to magnify
Lower taxa	Eriocheir sinensis, E. hepuensis
Common names	Mitten crabs
Higher taxon	Varunidae, Decapoda, Malacostraca, Arthropoda
Natural range	E. sinensis: Northern continental China to western Korean Peninsula. E. hepuensis: Coastal area of southern continental China.
Habitat	Hatched in ocean, youngs trace up a river and live in muddy habitat. Adults trace down to ocean for egg laying.

Invasion information
Range in Japan	Not established in Japan
Origin	Unintroduced to Japan.
Date
Route	Deliberate: Imported as food in past.
Impact	Potentially: Hybridization with native mitten crab E. japonica. Infestation of this species may give rise to competition with native aquatic invertebrates, disturbance of water facilities, and degradation of banks.
Regulation in Japan	Import, transport and keeping are prohibited in Japan by the Invasive Alien Species Act. IMO Worst 10 species
Introduced range in other countries	North America, Europe, etc.

Reference	Notes
Appeltans et al. (eds). World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) (Accessed on 2012-10-17) http://www.marinespecies.org/. JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)	Chinese mitten crab E. sinensis is one of IMO Worst 10 species and 100 of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.