Crustaceans
111
Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne-Edwards 1853
Order: Decapoda
Family: Varunidae
Common names: Chinese mitten crab,
big sluice crab.
Distribution: Native to eastern Asia
from Korea in the north to the Fujian
Province of China in the south; Europe
and North America.
Habitat: Freshwater, coastal estuaries,
and salt water; upstream from the
mouth.
Description: This species has a squareshaped carapace that is little longer than
wide and markedly convex and uneven
with four sharply edged epigastric
lobes. Propodus of the fifth pereiopod
is rather narrow and slender with dactylus that is claw shaped. Males produce an intensive mitten-like covering
on the claws, with hairs at both inner
and outer surfaces or only at the outer
surface (always naked and smooth in
other Eriocheir species). No longitudinal row of hairs is seen on the dorsal
part of the propodus in the anterior two
pairs of ambulatory legs. Front with
four acuminated and deeply separated
teeth. Four anterolateral teeth are distinct (not rudimentary) (Weimin, 2014).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition of Meat (% WW)
Moisture
Protein
Fat
Ash
78.8
18.9
0.9
1.39
Minerals (mg/100 g)
Zn Fe K Na Mn Cu Mg Ca P
9.1 3.9 273 190 0.09 1.6 22 67 514
Amino Acids (g/100 g)
Aspartic acid
1.79
Glutamic acid
2.74
Serine
0.75
Histidine
0.43
Glycine
1.16
Threonine
0.86
Alanine
1.25
Arginine
1.78
Tyrosine
0.63
Cysteine
0.18
Valine
0.86
Methionine
0.23
Tryptophan
0.51
Phenylalanine
0.78
Isoleucine
0.78
Leucine
1.39
Lysine
1.46
Proline
0.52
Total
18.11
Fatty Acids (% of Total Fatty Acids)
SFA
MUFA PUFA Others
PUFA
n-3
PUFA
n-6
24.91 49.81 23.87 1.40
7.44 16.43
Source: Data from Chen et al. (2007).