Also the Red Crab (scientific name Gonioinfradens gardens) now seems to have established itself in our seas. After the now unstoppable invasion of the Blue Crab, another alien and invasive species has recently been reported. Coming from the Red Sea, it seems to have now settled in the Ionian Sea. And it’s a huge problem for biodiversity.
As explained by theMediterranean Marine Fauna Agencywho led the research, the Red Crab is a species still little studied, but with increasing reports in the Mediterranean
Understanding its origin and diffusion is fundamental to evaluate the possible impacts on marine ecosystems.”
In fact, like all invasive species, this one also causes great concern, as it has no natural antagonists here where it was not born and therefore has not had time to establish a balance.
The portunid crab Gonioinfradens giardi, native to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, is one of the alien decapods that are expanding in the Mediterranean Sea – the researchers write – After the first confirmed Italian report in Portopalo di Capo Passero in November 2025, we documented another 11 specimens collected between November 2025 and January 2026 along the Ionian coast of Sicily
According to scientists, these are alarming data.
These repeated occurrences over a short period of time and in a relatively small area strongly suggest that the species is no longer an occasional arrival, but is in an early phase of local settlement in the central Mediterranean. These reports represent the westernmost presence of the species and underline the need for targeted monitoring of alien portunids in the Mediterranean
In other words, the fact that several specimens have been spotted in a rather limited area could suggest a sort of first “settlement nucleus”. Favored, unfortunately also in this case, by the increase in temperatures on Earth in general and in the Mediterranean Sea in particular.
The observed temporal and spatial coherence of G. giardi, combined with the ecological plasticity of the species and the current westward expansion trend of thermophilic portunids under warming conditions, strongly suggests that further geographic spread and progressive increases in local abundance are highly likely in the near future
the researchers conclude
The work was published on Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
Sources: Mediterranean Marine Fauna Agency/Facebook / Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria /
Ichthyo (Francesco Tiralongo)/Youtube
