Morphological characteristics and elemental fingerprints were compared in Chinese mitten crabs () from three lakes (Taihu Lake, Shijiu Lake and Gucheng Lake) in Jiangsu Province. Truss network analysis using 16 length measurements suggested that crabs from the three lakes could not be characterized based on morphological characteristics. The accuracy rates yielded by discriminant analysis were 70% for crabs from Taihu Lake, 90% for those from Shijiu Lake, and 80% for those from Gucheng Lake. An Agilent 7500ce ICP-MS was used to of 21 chemical elements (Na, K, Ca, Fe, Mg, Sr, Ag, Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Se, Tl and Zn) in the third pereiopod of the crabs from the three lakes. The concentrations of Cr, Co, As, Se, Cd, Pb, Tl, Ag, Mo, and Ni were below the detection limit. However, in contrast to the morphological analysis, the origin of the crabs from the three lakes could be consistently identified from their elemental fingerprints. The corresponding accuracy rates yielded by discriminant analysis were 100% for crabs from Taihu Lake, 80% for those from Shijiu Lake, and 100% for those from Gucheng Lake. We conclude that the approach of using environmentally determined elemental fingerprints in the third pereiopod of the crabs is a potentially valid method for identifying the