Range expansion of the tropical predatory crab Eurytium limosum (Say, 1818) (Decapoda: Brachyura: Panopeidae) into temperate salt marshes along the eastern coast of the United States.

This article documents the recent northward range expansion of the tropical broadback mud crab, *Eurytium limosum* (Say, 1818), into temperate salt marshes of central North Carolina, extending its known distribution approximately 400 km beyond its historical northern limit in southern South Carolina. Field surveys conducted in 2024 found *E. limosum* abundant across multiple marsh zones on Bogue Banks, with densities increasing markedly since the species was absent in the 1990s and present at low densities in 2016. The expansion is likely driven by rising air and water temperatures linked to climate change, representing a case of tropicalization in temperate predator assemblages. Given *E. limosum*’s predation on key marsh consumers such as fiddler crabs and plant-grazing snails, its establishment may alter top-down ecological interactions and marsh ecosystem structure, highlighting the need for further research on climate-driven shifts in marine species distributions and their ecological consequences.