John Kraeuter co-authors article on implications of ghost crab larvae found in Maine

John Kraeuter, Ph.D., adjunct faculty member in the Department of Marine Sciences, co-authored an article that was recently published in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.

The article, “Occurrence of first crab instars of the Atlantic ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Decapoda: Brachyura Ocypodidae) along the coast of Maine, U.S.A.,” discusses recent findings that the Atlantic ghost crab, a semi-tropical species, can complete its earliest life history stages in Maine.

Typically found on sandy beaches from Cape Cod to Brazil, the distinctive larval stage was found in Maine in the past few years. While unlikely that the adult population could survive the Maine winters, this phenomenon is of interest, given that the waters of the Gulf of Maine are warming.