Catture di Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) con trappole di luce nella Sicilia Nord-Occidentale

The tropical Atlantic grapsid crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) is an invasive decapod reported since 1999 along several coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Several studies have been conducted on this species mainly at the adults stages, but scarce information are available at the present on the early life stages of this species. In order to sample early life history stages of several organism, from May to October 2013, we deployed light traps over the new moon period for three days per month in 4 sites of NW of Sicily. The present study reports the abundances of P. gibbesi megalopae in the NW Sicilian waters, for which no information are available. The CPUE showed high variability among localities and in relation to the distance from the coast, likely due to the different oceanographic conditions characterizing each locality. However, further investigations are required to better understand the potential for colonising new habitats and the factors affecting settlement dynamics of P. gibbesi.