Eriocheir sinensis; Chinese mitten crab

Japanese: チュウゴクモクズガニ（英語表記）Eriocheir sinensis; Chinese mitten crab

It is a member of the order Decapoda and family Eriocheiridae in the class Malacostraca. Its former name was Chinese mitten crab, and its common name is Shanghai crab. Its carapace width reaches 7 cm. Its morphology and habits are very similar to those of the Japanese mitten crab, except for its sharp front teeth and front edge teeth, and the roughness of its carapace. It is widely distributed in rivers and creeks along the Yellow Sea coast of the Republic of Korea and in northern China, where it is important as food, and is also exported to Japan. Since it was first caught in the Oder River in Germany in 1913, it has spread throughout Europe, and is also breeding in rivers in the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom. It is thought to have been introduced to Europe by water carried in the holds of ships from the Huang River or the Chang River. It is well known as a representative example of naturalization of crustaceans, along with the American crayfish, which was introduced to Japan from the United States and spread there. In 1991, the population living in southern China from Fujian Province to the border with Vietnam was classified as a separate species, E. hepuensis . It is very similar to this species, but the bumps on the shell are not as pronounced. In Japan, it was designated as a specified alien species in 2006, and only licensed dealers can import it. (→Decapods, Arthropods, Mollusca)

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

軟甲綱十脚目モクズガニ科。旧名はシナモクズガニ，流通名は上海ガニ。甲幅 7cmに達する。額歯と前側縁の歯が鋭いことと甲面の凹凸が強いことを除いては，形態，習性などがモクズガニに酷似している。大韓民国（韓国）の黄海沿岸と中国北部の河川やクリークに広く分布し，食用として重要で，日本にも輸出されている。1913年にドイツのオーデル川で初めて捕獲されて以来ヨーロッパ各地に広がり，オランダやフランス，イギリスなどの河川でも大繁殖している。ヨーロッパへの移入は，ホワン（黄）河あるいはチャン（長）江から船倉の水に入って運ばれたものと思われる。アメリカ合衆国から日本に移入されて広まったアメリカザリガニとともに，甲殻類の帰化の代表例としてよく知られている。1991年，中国福建省からベトナムとの国境近くまでの中国南部に生息する個体群は別種 E. hepuensis とされた。本種によく似ているが，甲面の凹凸があまり強くないという。日本では，2006年に特定外来生物に指定され，認可を受けた業者だけが輸入することができる。（→十脚類，節足動物，軟甲類）

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