American Horseshoe Crab Abundance in the Northern Central Gulf of Mexico from 2012-05-21 to 2013-08-20 (NCEI Accession 0149391)

Description

This dataset contains sightings of American horseshoe crab, Limulus polyphemus, during shoreline surveys conducted in late spring and summer in 2012 and 2013. The study area was in the northern Gulf of Mexico extending from Fort Morgan peninsula of the Alabama coast west to Horn Island off the Mississippi coast, which covers a total distance from east to west of about 60 km. Live crabs, dead crabs, and molts are included.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was to evaluate suitable habitat for the American horseshoe crab along the Mississippi – Alabama coast and to provide baseline data for the development of a habitat suitability model. The north central Gulf of Mexico barrier islands and shorelines provide habitat for horseshoe crabs. This region has food supply and beach attributes that are known to support some crabs and are consistent with known habitat characteristics elsewhere.

DOI: 10.7289/v5zs2th4

Suggested Citation

Carmichael, Ruth; Estes Jr, Maurice (2016). American Horseshoe Crab Abundance in the Northern Central Gulf of Mexico from 2012-05-21 to 2013-08-20 (NCEI Accession 0149391). [indicate subset used]. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.7289/v5zs2th4. Accessed [date].