Genetic, Diversity, and Muscle Quality Among Red and Green Color Morphs of Asian Swimming Crab (Charybdis japonica): Implications for Accurate Species Recognition and Sustainable Management

In this study, two color morphs (red and green) of Asian swimming crab (Charybdis japon- ica) commonly distributed in the China Sea area were analyzed for their L*a*b* values, carapace and inner membrane histology, morphological characteristics, mitochondrial DNA sequences, muscle texture, and amino acid composition. The results showed that compared with the green morph group, the red morph group exhibits higher aggregation of melanocytes and fewer pigment cells in the inner membrane. In...