Biological synopsis of the marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) / by Victoria Van Mierlo, Alexandre Crew, Sunčica Avlijaš, and Anthony Ricciardi. : Fs97-4/3311E-PDF

"The Marbled Crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) is the first described asexual decapod crustacean and an emerging invasive threat to Canadian freshwater ecosystems. The species is suspected to have originated within the aquarium trade when the breeding of two Slough Crayfish (Procambarus fallax) produced a triploid offspring. Since its discovery in the wild over two decades ago, the Marbled Crayfish has been found throughout eastern and central Europe, Japan, Israel, as well as Madagascar - where it has established multiple reproducing populations. Recently, two North American feral populations were discovered in a southern Ontario stormwater management pond near Lake Ontario and a privately owned pond in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. Other feral populations may remain to be discovered, as suggested by the capture of single individuals in the wild in New York State. As a prerequisite for conducting a risk analysis of future invasions of Canadian inland waters, this biological synopsis summarizes information on the Marbled Crayfish's current worldwide distribution, biological traits, natural history, and impacts. Owing to the popularity of Marbled Crayfish among aquarium hobbyists, the release of unwanted pets is the most probable mechanism of introduction. Given the capacity of Marbled Crayfish to reproduce prolifically and parthenogenically, a single released individual could lead to the establishment of a feral population. Despite all individual Marbled Crayfish being genetic clones, epigenetic variation allows the species to be adaptable to different environments. Previous invasion history, diet studies, competition experiments, and documented burrowing behaviour (although not yet observed in Canada) suggest that the Marbled Crayfish can compete with native crayfishes and degrade invaded habitats"--Abstract, page v.

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