Chinese mitten crab | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Brachyura |
Family: | Varunidae |
Genus: | Eriocheir |
Species: | E. sinensis
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Binomial name | |
Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne-Edwards, 1853
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"Chinese mitten crab" | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 大閘蟹 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 大闸蟹 | ||||||||||
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Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||
Chinese | 上海毛蟹 | ||||||||||
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The Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis; simplified Chinese: 大闸蟹; traditional Chinese: 大閘蟹; pinyin: dàzháxiè; Shanghainese: du6-zaq8-ha5, lit. "big sluice crab"), also known as the Shanghai hairy crab (上海毛蟹, p Shànghǎi máoxiè), is a medium-sized burrowing crab that is named for its furry claws, which resemble mittens. It is native to rivers, estuaries and other coastal habitats of East Asia from Korea in the north to Fujian, China in the south. It has also been introduced to Europe and North America, where it is considered an invasive species.[1][2] The species features on the list of invasive alien species of Union concern.[3] This means that the import of the species and trade in the species is forbidden in the whole of the European Union.[4]