Cherax tenuimanus

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Cherax tenuimanus
Cherax tenuimanus by OpenCage.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Parastacidae
Genus: Cherax
Species:
C. tenuimanus
Binomial name
Cherax tenuimanus
(Smith, 1912)

Cherax tenuimanus, known as the Hairy marron or Margaret River marron, is one of two species of crayfish in Southwestern Australia known as marron. It occupies a narrow range within the southwestern biogeographical region of Margaret River. It is currently listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, because of the threat from the yabbie, C. albidus , which was introduced to its habitat. [1]

Contents

Recent studies have shown that adding mannanoligosaccharide (Bio-Mos) to the diet of Cherax tenuimanus can increase their immunity and rate of survival. [2] [3]

Description

The hairy marron ranges in colour from olive green to brown to black, with females sometimes having red or purple patches on their undersides. [4] [5] [6] Adult hairy marrons grow to between 300 and 400 mm with a body consisting of a head and thorax that are protected by a carapace. [4] [5] [6] The body eventually extends into an abdomen that ends in a muscular tail, and the body is bracketed by 5 pairs of legs including two pairs of pinchers; a larger pair for capturing prey and defense and a second, smaller pair for fine manipulation of food. [5] [6] The hairy marron can be differentiated from the smooth marron by the hairy bristles that are known to sometimes cover its carapace and other body parts, although these bristles can be difficult to observe in juveniles. [4] [5] [6]

Diet

The hairy marron is an omnivore whose diet mainly consists of small invertebrates, fish eggs and larvae, and algae. [5]   It is also a cannibal that will potentially eat its own young. [5]

Habitat

The hairy marron lives in exclusively freshwater habitats, specifically in clear, oxygen-rich water in the Margaret River in Southwestern Australia. [4] Its range has become limited to 3 major pools in the upper portion of the river due to competition with the smooth marron. [4] Exact environmental parameters needed for the survival of the hairy marron are unknown due to the low number of individuals in natural settings. [7] However, studies performed in aquaculture settings have shown that hairy marron survive best in water that is about 25 degrees Celsius and that with a salinity of at least 100 mg/L. [7] They also prefer habitats with debris or other structures they can use as shelter or as food sources if the material is organic. [4]

Reproduction

Hairy marrons begin to mate when they reach sexual maturity during the second and third years of their lives, with their mating season occurring between July and October. [4] [5] During reproduction, the females typically incubate 200-400 eggs inside of them for almost 6 months, although larger females have been known to produce up to 800 eggs. [4] [5]   The female then lays the eggs on her swimmerets, and reproduction takes place when a male passes a sperm packet to the female, which the female then uses to fertilize the eggs in a process nearly identical to that used by the smooth marron. [4] [5] The eggs are then held under the female's tail for several weeks, hatching at or just after the end of the mating season, and the juveniles remain on the mother's swimmerets until they have finished consuming their yolk sacs and are mature enough to feed on their own, which is usually by November or December. [4] [5] The smooth marron is known to follow a similar reproductive pattern, but there is some evidence that their breeding season occurs earlier in the year than that of the hairy marron. [4] [8]   This difference in timing is theorized to result in the juvenile smooth marron reaching larger sizes before juvenile hairy marron, granting the smooth marron a competitive advantage. [9]

Invasion by smooth marron

One of the greatest threats to wild populations of hairy marron is invasion by the closely related smooth marron, which was introduced into the Margaret River in the 1980s, and which progressively replaced the hairy marron in the lower regions of the Margaret River from 1980 to 1992. [10]   Although the replacement of the hairy marron by the smooth marron in the middle portion of the river is not very well documented, the hairy marron was observed to be completely gone from the middle of the river in 2000. [10]   Beginning in the same year, smooth marron have always been observed living alongside all hairy marron populations in the upper portion of the Margaret River. [8] [10]   Marron populations in the Margaret River follow the general trend of increasing in hairy marron and decreasing in smooth marron for regions further up the river. [10]   This trend has led scientists to conclude that smooth marron were most likely introduced in the lower portions of the river and spread to the middle and upper regions over time, replacing hairy marron through several processes including competition and hybridization. [10]

Hybridization

The hairy marron and the smooth marron have been classified as two separate species in past studies based on their morphology and genetics. [11]   However, further research has found that smooth marron and hairy marron are able to interbreed and that interbreeding can produce reproductively viable hybrids. [10] Debate as to whether the hairy marron and the smooth marron are the same or different species is currently ongoing within the scientific community. [10] Even though interbreeding of the two species has been observed, it has been hypothesized that there is some sort of barrier between the two marrons that prevents them from interbreeding easily. [9]   This hypothesis is based on some research that suggests interbreeding is less frequent than it would be if the smooth marron and the hairy marron belong to the same species. [9]

Aquaculture and conservation

The aquaculture of hairy marron is a small-scale industry in Australia, which is also being utilized by the Australian Government to conduct a captive breeding program in an attempt to preserve the species. [12] Efforts were also undertaken between 2013 and 2017 to regularly remove smooth marron from the few pools inhabited by hairy marron, but it was eventually decided that these fish outs were not having a pronounced enough effect to preserve wild populations. [12] Conservation efforts have now turned toward expanding the captive breeding program and finding other sites where the captive marron could potentially be reintroduced to native water systems. [12]

Related Research Articles

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Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as Procambarus clarkii, are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.

<i>Jasus edwardsii</i> Species of crustacean

Jasus edwardsii, the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. It is commonly called crayfish in Australia and New Zealand and kōura in Māori. They resemble lobsters, but lack the large characteristic pincers on the first pair of walking legs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parastacidae</span> Family of crustaceans

The Parastacidae are the family of freshwater crayfish found in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with extant members in South America, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea, and extinct taxa also in Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marron</span>

Marron is a name given to two closely related species of crayfish in Western Australia. Formerly considered a single species, it is now recognised as comprising two species, the critically endangered Cherax tenuimanus, and the species that is outcompeting it, C. cainii.

<i>Cherax</i> Genus of crayfishes

Cherax, commonly known as yabby/yabbies in Australia, is the most widespread genus of fully aquatic crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Various species of cherax may be found in both still and flowing bodies of freshwater across most of Australia and New Guinea. Together with Euastacus, it is also the largest crayfish genus in the Southern Hemisphere.

<i>Cherax quadricarinatus</i> Species of crayfish

Cherax quadricarinatus is an Australian freshwater crayfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common yabby</span> Species of crayfish

The common yabby is an Australian freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family. It is listed as a vulnerable species of crayfish by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though the wild yabby populations remain strong, and have expanded into new habitats created by reservoirs and farm dams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish</span> Species of crayfish

The Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, also called Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster, is the largest freshwater invertebrate and the largest freshwater crayfish species in the world. The species is only found in the rivers below 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level in northern Tasmania, an island-state of Australia. It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List due to overfishing and habitat degradation, and it has been prohibited to catch the crayfish since 1998.

<i>Paranephrops</i> Genus of crayfishes

Paranephrops is a genus of freshwater crayfish found only in New Zealand. They are known by the English common names freshwater crayfish and koura, the latter from their Māori name of kōura. The two species are the northern koura, Paranephrops planifrons, found mainly in the North Island, but also in Marlborough, Nelson, and the West Coast of the South Island, and the southern koura, Paranephrops zealandicus, found only in the eastern and southern of the South Island and on Stewart Island/Rakiura. Both species are a traditional food for Māori, and a small koura aquaculture industry supplies the restaurant market.

Cherax quinquecarinatus is a small freshwater crayfish endemic to the south-west corner of Australia. It is one of two species known as gilgie, or jilgi, which is a seasonal food source for people of the region. Gilgies are found throughout a biogeographically isolated region of the coastal south of Western Australia and are significant in the ecology of aquatic systems of that bioregion.

<i>Astacoides</i> Genus of crayfishes

Astacoides is a genus of freshwater crayfish endemic to Madagascar. The first specimens were brought to Europe in 1839, and seven species are now recognised, most of which are considered as threatened on the IUCN Red List. They are large and slow-growing, and are threatened by habitat loss, overexploitation by local people and by spread of introduced non-indigenous marbled crayfish. They are only found in a relatively small part of the island, mostly in undisturbed upland areas. They belong to the Gondwana-distributed family Parastacidae, but their nearest relatives live in Australasia, there being no native crayfish in mainland Africa or India.

Cherax nucifraga is a species of crayfish in the family Parastacidae. It is known only from the type locality – Palm Springs, near Channel Point, Northern Territory, Australia – where the holotype was collected from the stomach of a barramundi. It is listed as data deficient on the IUCN Red List.

<i>Cherax holthuisi</i> Species of crayfish

Cherax holthuisi is a species of crayfish from the Bird's Head Peninsula in New Guinea. It grows to a total length of 81–93 mm (3.2–3.7 in) and is typically pink, orange or yellow in wild specimens. It was described in 2006 after animals circulating in the aquarium trade could not be assigned to any known species.

<i>Euastacus spinifer</i> Species of crayfish

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern swamp crayfish</span> Species of crayfish

The eastern swamp crayfish is a species of small freshwater crayfish from coastal New South Wales, Australia. It is distinguished from related species by large genital papilla on the males, large raised postorbital ridges, a laterally compressed carapace, and elongated chelae.

<i>Cherax pulcher</i> Species of crayfish

Cherax pulcher is a species of crayfish from West Papua in Indonesia. It is popular as a freshwater aquarium species across Asia, Europe, and North America.

<i>Cherax snowden</i> Species of crayfish

Cherax snowden is a species of crayfish from West Papua in Indonesia. In the wild, they live in freshwater river tributaries. It is popular as a freshwater aquarium pet across Asia, Europe, and North America because of its orange-tipped claws. Specimens were previously misidentified as members of Cherax holthuisi, also from West Papua.

<i>Cherax preissii</i> Species of crayfish

Cherax preissii, the common koonac, is a Western Australian freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family.

Cherax cainii, known as the smooth marron, is one of two species of crayfish that are endemic in Southwestern Australia known as marron. It occupies a range extending from around Hutt River in the north west to around Esperance in the south east of Western Australia. The species is also now found in variety of artificial and natural fresh water bodies of Queensland, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales in Australia. It has also been introduced to other countries including North America, Chile, South Africa, Zambia, Japan and New Zealand as a part of commercial aquaculture schemes.

<i>Caridina typus</i> Species of amphidromous atyid shrimp

Caridina typus, also known as the Australian Amano Shrimp, is a species of amphidromous atyid shrimp. It was first described by H. Milne-Edwards in 1837. It has a broad distribution in tropical freshwater habitats in the Indo-West Pacific region, with its western range extending to eastern Africa and its eastern range extending to Polynesia. It is commonly found in rivers and streams in coastal areas or on islands. C. typus is known to play a role in sediment distribution and shredding leaf litter, manipulating the environment using their pereiopods and setaceous chelae. The species is also an important component of the food web, both as scavengers and as prey items, and is considered a keystone species for the stream ecosystems it inhabits. According to Choy and Marshall, the species can be characterized by a "short, dorsally unarmed rostrum, the presence of epipods on the first four pairs of pereiopods, and the presence of an appendix interna on the endopod of the first pleopod of both sexes." It can be kept in captivity by aquarists as pets.

References

  1. 1 2 Austin, C.M.; Bunn, J. (2010). "Cherax tenuimanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2010: e.T4618A11033949. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T4618A11033949.en . Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Sang, Huynh (August 2009). "Dietary supplementation of mannan oligosaccharide improves the immune responses and survival of marron, Cherax tenuimanus (Smith, 1912) when challenged with different stressors". Fish and Selfish Immunology. 27 (2): 341–348. doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2009.06.003. PMID   19539033.
  3. ↑ Sang, Huynh Minh; Ky, Le Trung; Fotedar, Ravi (1 August 2009). "Dietary supplementation of mannan oligosaccharide improves the immune responses and survival of marron, Cherax tenuimanus (Smith, 1912) when challenged with different stressors". Fish & Shellfish Immunology. 27 (2): 341–348. doi:10.1016/j.fsi.2009.06.003. ISSN   1050-4648. PMID   19539033.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Hairy marron". Healthy Rivers. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Marron". fish.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Margaret River Hairy Marron - Arca del Gusto". Slow Food Foundation. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  7. 1 2 Rouse, David B.; Kartamulia, Izuddin (1 July 1992). "Influence of salinity and temperature on molting and survival of the Australian freshwater crayfish (Cherax tenuimanus)". Aquaculture. 105 (1): 47–52. doi:10.1016/0044-8486(92)90160-M. ISSN   0044-8486.
  8. 1 2 Bunn, John (2004). Investigation of the replacement of Margaret River hairy marron Cherax tenuimanus (Smith) by smooth marron C. cainii Austin (MS thesis). Edith Cowan University.
  9. 1 2 3 Guildea, Clodagh; Hitchen, Yvette; Duffy, Rodney; Dias, P. Joana; Ledger, Jason M.; Snow, Michael; Kennington, W. Jason (23 March 2015). Britton, Robert (ed.). "Introgression Threatens the Survival of the Critically Endangered Freshwater Crayfish Cherax tenuimanus (Decapoda: Parastacidae) in the Wild". PLOS ONE. 10 (3): e0121075. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0121075 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   4370514 . PMID   25799102.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vercoe, Phil; Lawrence, Craig; de Graaf, Martin (2009). "Rapid replacement of the critically endangered hairy marron by the introduced smooth marron (Decapoda, Parastacidae) in the Margaret River (Western Australia)". Crustaceana. 82 (11): 1469–1476. doi:10.1163/156854009X463937. ISSN   0011-216X.
  11. ↑ Austin, C. M.; Ryan, S. G. (2002). "Allozyme evidence for a new species of freshwater crayfish of the genus Cherax Erichson (Decapoda : Parastacidae) from the south-west of Western Australia". Invertebrate Systematics. 16 (3): 357–367. doi:10.1071/it01010. ISSN   1447-2600.
  12. 1 2 3 "- Margaret River Hairy Marron". Nature Conservation Margaret River Region. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
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