Touchdown - first record of Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) from the Levantine coast

Abstract

Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is reported for the first time from the southern coast of Turkey in 2005-2006. This grapsid crab is the most invasive decapod species to enter the Mediterranean, it was first recorded in 1999 in the Balearic Islands, Sicily and adjacent islands. Possible vectors for its rapid spread across the Mediterranean include larval transport by surface currents and shipping.