Host-parasite relation between the shore crab Carcinus maenas and Sacculina carcini (Rhizocephala): Identification and characterization of a specific fraction correlated with parasitism

Overview on the European green crab Carcinus spp. (Portunidae, Decapoda), one of the most famous marine invaders and ecotoxicological models

Green crabs (Carcinus, Portunidae) include two species native to Europe--Carcinus aestuarii (Mediterranean species) and Carcinus maenas (Atlantic species). These small shore crabs (maximal length carapace, approximately 10 cm) show rapid growth, high fecundity, and long planktonic larval stages that facilitate broad dispersion. Carcinus spp. have a high tolerance to fluctuations of environmental factors including oxygen, salinity, temperature, xenobiotic compounds, and others. Shipping of Carcinus spp. over the past centuries has resulted in its invasions of America, Asia, and Australia. Classified as one of the world's 100 worst invaders by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Carcinus spp. are the most widely distributed intertidal crabs in the world. Their voracious predatory activity makes them strong interactors in local communities, and they are recognized as a model for invasiveness in marine systems as well as a sentinel species in ecotoxicology. This review shows an exhaustive analysis of the literature on the life cycle, diversity, physiological tolerance, genomic investigations, ecotoxicological use, historical invasion, control programs, and putative economical valorization of shore crabs.

A precipitin for human serum proteins as released under stress by a marine invertebrate, the marsh snail, Littorina irrorata

A substance released into the environment by stressed marsh snails, Littorina irrorata, precipitates with the beta globulin and albumin fractions of human serum proteins. Other diverse invertebrate species may produce a similar substance. Invertebrate precipitins have not been widely reported, and none like the one described. Some physicochemical and adaptive characteristics of the snail precipitin are presented. This precipitin can be produced in large quantities and has potential application as a diagnostic reagent.