Use of osmoregulatory ability to predict invasiveness of the Indo-Pacific swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867) an invader in Southern Brazil

Abstract The Indo-Pacific swimming crab Charybdis hellerii (A. Milne-Edwards, 1867) is native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean, and occurs as an invasive species along the Eastern American coast, where it was probably introduced in ballast water. The present study evaluated the osmoregulation and salinity tolerance of C. hellerii in Paranaguá Bay, Paraná, Brazil, an estuary under the constant threat of introduction of non-native species. The crabs were abruptly submitted to salinities of 10, 20, 30 (control), and 40 PSU for 24h. Hemolymph osmolality showed either an increase or a decrease following...