Racing across the Mediterranean—first record of Percnon gibbesi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsidae) in Greece

Abstract

A grapsid crab, Percnon gibbesi, is the most invasive decapod species to enter the Mediterranean. The vessel-transported crab spread within a few years from the Balearic Islands to the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts of Italy. In the summer of 2005 it was recorded for the first time from Greece. Its presence in the little frequented island of Antikythira possibly points to the role of recreational vessels as vectors of marine alien species.