The Distribution ofOcypode quadrata, Atlantic Ghost Crab (Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae) Megalopae, beyond the Presumptive Northern Boundary of Adult Populations in the Northwest Atlantic

Abstract

Abstract Previous observations on the occurrence of the megalopae of Ocypode quadrata (Atlantic Ghost Crab) along the inshore waters of the northeastern coast of the US from New Jersey to southern Massachusetts and the offshore waters of southwestern Nova Scotia, dating back to the end of the 19th century to recent findings in the 21st century, are reviewed. Although megalopae were found for the first time north of Cape Cod in plankton samples from Nova Scotia (1977–1978), they are reported here for the first time on beaches north of Cape Cod along the east coast of Massachusetts and as far north as Kennebunkport, ME. The nearest populations of adult Atlantic Ghost Crabs are located along the southeast coast of Massachusetts. Thus, zoeae larvae and megalopae originating below Cape Cod must migrate northward around the Cape or via Buzzards Bay through the Cape Cod Canal. Likewise, megalopae reported from southwestern Nova Scotian waters must have originated from adult populations to the south. The incidenc...