Rare crab population found in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province
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Gyeonggi Province officials in South Korea confirmed a new habitat for the endangered white-spotted fiddler crab on the mudflats of Daebudo Island.
The Gyeonggi Marine and Fisheries Research Institute discovered approximately 2,600 square meters of habitat during ecological surveys of the Gyeonggi mudflats, areas between land and sea that are regularly flooded and exposed by tides. Researchers estimate at least 30,000 crabs live in two separate areas on the island.
The institute verified the crabs’ identity through morphological and DNA analysis, obtaining permission from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to collect samples. They also found egg-bearing females and young crabs, indicating the population is breeding and sustaining itself in the area. The institute and Ansan City will install signs to protect the habitat, and will continue to monitor the crab population and its environment.
During the same surveys, researchers also identified a small habitat for the bal kongge, a marine protected species, continuing work to map rare and protected species in the province’s mudflats.
