| A faunistic survey of the species of Callinectes Stimpson, 1871 carried out in the coastal and estuarine regions of the State of Rio Grande do Norte yielded five species: C. bocourti A. Milne Edwards, 1879; C. danae Smith, 1869; C. exasperatus (Gerstaecker, 1856); C. larvatus Ordway, 1863 and C. ornatus Ordway, 1863. Specimens examined consist of those collected on a monthly basis from three fixed stations within the estuary of Potengi, Natal during a period of two years and those obtained from other localities. Among the species occuring in the region, C. danae is more abundant and has a wider range of tolerance of salinity while C. larvatus is restricted to the marine habitat. Though C. danae sustains important artisan fishery, C. bocourti of large size... |
