Marbled crayfish | |
---|---|
Adult marmorkrebs | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Family: | Cambaridae |
Genus: | Procambarus |
Species: | P. virginalis |
Binomial name | |
Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017 [1] | |
Countries where the marbled crayfish has been found in the wild. It has also been found in Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Madagascar, Taiwan, and China. [2] [3] | |
Synonyms | |
Procambarus fallax forma virginalisMartin, Dorn, Kawai, van der Heiden & Scholtz, 2010 Contents |
The marbled crayfish or Marmorkrebs (Procambarus virginalis) is a parthenogenetic crayfish that was discovered in the pet trade in Germany in 1995. [4] [5] Marbled crayfish are closely related to the "slough crayfish", Procambarus fallax , [6] which is widely distributed across Florida. [7] No natural populations of marbled crayfish are known. Information provided by one of the original pet traders as to where the marbled crayfish originated was deemed "totally confusing and unreliable". [8] The informal name Marmorkrebs is German for "marbled crayfish".
Marbled crayfish were the first known decapod crustaceans to reproduce by parthenogenesis. [4] All individuals are female, and the offspring are genetically identical to the parent. [5] [9] Marbled crayfish are triploid animals [5] [10] with 276 chromosomes, [11] which may be the main reason for their parthenogenetic reproduction. It is hypothesized that marbled crayfish originated from an error in meiosis resulting in a diploid gamete, which was then fertilized and created a viable triploid individual in a single generation. [5] [12] Marbled crayfish are thus a model for the rapid generation of species. [5] Unlike other parthenogenetic organisms, the marbled crayfish is an extremely young species; [11] all marbled crayfish are clonal descendants of a single specimen from 1988. [13]
Because marbled crayfish are genetically identical, easy to care for, [14] and reproduce at high rates, they are a potential model organism, particularly for studying development. [15] A major drawback, however, is the long generation time (several months) compared to other research organisms. [16]
The marbled crayfish genome was sequenced in 2018, which provides an essential foundation for further research. [12]
Marbled crayfish have caused concern as a potential invasive species [4] because only a single individual is needed to establish a new population, and they can reproduce at high rates. Marbled crayfish are also a known carrier of a crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci . [17] Marbled crayfish inhabit freshwater environments, and have not successfully invaded ecosystems with higher salinity levels due to their reduced ability to reproduce and grow. [18] However, it has been proven that they can adjust to increasing saline environments, which may allow for their further expansion. [18]
They have since been introduced into natural ecosystems on five continents. They have been found in the wild in the following countries:
While initial reports of marbled crayfish in the wild in Europe consisted of only single individuals, [27] the number of European countries reporting populations of marbled crayfish is rising. [41]
In Europe, the marbled crayfish is included since 2016 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern. [42] This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union. [43]
The Madagascar population has grown rapidly [33] [12] and is estimated to be in the millions, with their geographical distribution having increased 100-fold from 2007 to 2017, [11] causing concern among local authorities. [44]
Marbled crayfish are one of the most widely distributed species of crayfish in the international pet trade [45] [46] [47] and release from aquariums has likely been the main source of unwanted introductions. Concerns about the potential damage from their introduction have prompted several jurisdictions to regulate ownership of marbled crayfish.
The European Union instituted "a total ban on the possession, trade, transport, production and release of these species [including the marbled crayfish] in the wild" in 2016. [48] [49] [50] [51]
Japan banned most North American crayfish species, including marbled crayfish, in 2020. [52]
Marbled crayfish are prohibited in the American states of Idaho, [53] Missouri, [54] Tennessee, [55] [56] Michigan, [57] [58] Maryland, [59] and in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan [60] and Ontario. [61]
Marbled crayfish are eaten in Madagascar. [62] Human interest in consuming them may contribute to their spread. [62] Protein isolates from whole-body homogenate (including chitinous exoskeleton) of Procambarus virginalis are hypothesized to be dense in branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and leucine (Leu). For potential use in biomedical research or as additives in supplements for BCAA and Leu. The mentioned crayfish species could offer 6.36–7.39 g Leu 100 g−1 dry matter (at 43–48% protein only). Crayfish whole-body protein isolates exhibit a Leu coefficient (18.41±2.51% of total amino acids) and a BCAA coefficient (28.76±2.39% of total amino acids), which is comparable to or higher than that of an industrial gold standard such as casein (Leu coefficient 8.65±0.08%; BCAA coefficient 20.03±0.73%). [63]
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.
Cambaroides japonicus, also known as Japanese crayfish, is a species of crayfish endemic to Japan.
Pontastacus leptodactylus, the Danube crayfish, Galician crayfish, Turkish crayfish or narrow-clawed crayfish, is a relatively large and economically important species of crayfish native to fresh and brackish waters in eastern Europe and western Asia, mainly in the Pontic–Caspian region, among others including the basins of the Black Sea, and the Danube, Dnieper, Don and Volga rivers, as well as aquatic systems in Turkey. It has spread widely beyond its native range, beginning in the 1700s when it spread via canals constructed in western Russia and since the 1900s through introducions to many regions for human consumption. Today it is widespread throughout much of Europe.
The Cambaridae are the largest of the four families of freshwater crayfish, with over 400 species. Most of the species in the family are native the United States east of the Great Divide and Mexico, but fewer range north to Canada, and south to Guatemala and Honduras. Three live on the island of Cuba. The species in the genus Cambaroides are only found outside North America, as they are restricted to eastern Asia.
Procambarus clarkii, known variously as the red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish or mudbug, is a species of cambarid crayfish native to freshwater bodies of northern Mexico, and southern and southeastern United States, but also introduced elsewhere, where it is often an invasive pest.
The Everglades crayfish, sometimes called the Florida crayfish, the blue crayfish, the electric blue crayfish, or the sapphire crayfish, is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Florida in the United States. Its natural range is the area east of St. Johns River and all of Florida from Levy County and Marion County southwards, as well as on some of the Florida Keys. It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern. The blue crayfish is frequently kept in a freshwater aquaria. In the wild, this species varies from brown-tan to blue, but an aquarium strain has been selectively bred to achieve a brilliant cobalt blue color.
The rusty crayfish is a large, aggressive species of freshwater crayfish which is native to the United States, in the Ohio River Basin in parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its range is rapidly expanding across much of eastern North America, displacing native crayfishes in the process. The rusty crayfish was first captured in Illinois in 1973, and has been collected at over 20 locations in the northern portion of the state. In 2005, F. rusticus was found for the first time west of the Continental Divide, in the John Day River, Oregon, which runs into the Columbia River.
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.
Procambarus is a genus of crayfish in the family Cambaridae, all native to North and Central America. It includes a number of troglobitic species, and the marbled crayfish (marmorkrebs), which is parthenogenetic. Originally described as a subgenus for four species, it now contains around 161 species.
Faxonius limosus, synonym Orconectes limosus, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is native to the east coast of North America, from Quebec to the lower James River, Virginia, but has also been introduced to Europe. It is known commonly as the spinycheek crayfish or Kamberkrebs in German.
Fallicambarus tenuis is a species of crayfish in the genus Fallicambarus in the family Cambaridae. It was the only species in the subgenus Procambarus (Tenuicambarus) before DNA analysis suggested a reclassification.
Faxonius virilis is a species of crayfish known as the virile crayfish, northern crayfish,eastern crayfish, and lesser known as the lake crayfish or common crawfish. Faxonius virilis was reclassified in August 2017, and the genus was changed from Orconectes to Faxonius. It is native to the central United States, east to tributaries of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River in New York and to much of Canada.
Procambarus liberorum is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is known commonly as the Osage burrowing crayfish.
Procambarus fallax is a species of crayfish in the genus Procambarus. It lives in tributaries of the Satilla River in Georgia and Florida. It is the closest relative to the parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis.
Crayfish are eaten all over the world. Like other edible crustaceans, only a small portion of the body of a crayfish is edible. In most prepared dishes, such as soups, bisques and étouffées, only the tail portion is served. At crawfish boils or other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other portions, such as the claw meat, may be eaten.
Faxonius erichsonianus is a species in the family Cambaridae ("crayfishes"), in the order Decapoda. A common name for Faxonius erichsonianus is reticulate crayfish. Faxonius erichsonianus is found in the south eastern United States of America.
Procambarus acutus, the white river crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in North America and Europe.
Faxonius is a genus of freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae. There are more than 90 described species in Faxonius. It includes the rusty crayfish, an invasive species in North America, and three species, F. virilis, F. immunis, and F. limosus, that are invasive to Europe.
Cambarus monongalensis, the blue crayfish or Monongahela crayfish, is a species of burrowing crayfish native to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It has also been found recently in Ohio. The common name refers to the Monongahela River, with the first specimens being collected from Edgewood Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern.
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