RESUMEN
The presence of heavy metals (HMs) in the environment can increase their risk of transfer to the food chain. The present study was conducted to investigate the bioaccumulation of HMs including Hg, Cd and Ni in soft and hard tissues of sentinel crab (Macrophthalmus depressus Rüppell, 1830) in sediments of Mousa Bay in northwest of the Persian Gulf. The average (mean ± SD) amounts of Hg, Cd and Ni in the sediments were 6.27 ± 3.66, 3.8 ± 1.48 and 71.6 ± 5.09 µg/g, whereas the relevant amounts for soft tissues were 6.16 ± 4.64, 3.3 ± 1.7 and 19.7 ± 3.96 µg/g, and for hard tissues were, 2.9 ± 1.67, 3.5 ± 1.35 and 10.44 ± 3.1 µg/g, respectively. Accordingly, soft tissues of the crab could be suitable bioindicators of Hg and Cd, whereas the hard tissues could be used as Cd bioindicator. Since the bioaccumulation of Ni was the most, it might have a higher risk among the metals to enter the food chain in the region.