The survival of Chinese and Japanese mitten crabs in the absence of water was compared to obtain basic information on their invasion ability through land. The sur vival time of crabs in dr y conditions varied greatly among individuals but there were no significant differences among species. Most crabs were able to sur vive more than two days in the absence of water. These results indicate that Chinese mitten crab has similar ability to move on land as the Japanese mitten crab and suggest that

more »

... might potentially invade aquatic habitats by escaping from commercial transportation.