First record of the Asian crab Hemigrapsus takanoi Asakura & Watanabe, 2005 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Varunidae) in the Baltic Sea

Twenty years after its initial introduction to Europe, the Asian brush clawed crab Hemigrapsus takanoi is now a successful invader of the European Atlantic and North Sea coasts from northern Spain to southern Denmark. In July 2014, this species was recorded in the Baltic Sea for the first time, as eight individuals were found in the inner Kiel Fjord, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. To date, a total number of 19 individuals have been collected. Findings of an ovigerous female and of juvenile crabs among the collected individuals indicate that H. takanoi most likely already reproduces successfully in the Baltic Sea.