Crayfish (Euastacus armatus1)_lr.pdf · 2018. 1. 3. · developed a special love of the...

Crayfish News Volume 38 Issue 1: Page 1

ISSN: 1023-8174 (print), 2150-9239 (online)

The Official Newsletter of the International Association of Astacology

Spring Issue, March 2016

Volume 38, Issue 1

Cover Story 1

President’s Corner 2

Short Articles 4

Crayfish Music in Far-east Asia

4

The Body Color of Freshwater Crayfish and

Perfectly Symmetrical Bi-colored Cherax albidus

from Australia

5

Don’t Judge a Crayfish by its Cover: Color Morphs

may Render Crayfish Unidentifiable

8

Literature of Interest to Astacologists

10

Inside this issue:

Photo 1. Mae Noble with a Murray crayfish from the Goobarragandra River, NSW. (Photo: Chris Fulton)

H ello fellow crayfish researchers! For my Masters of Environment Research degree at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, I had the opportunity to briefly explore the wonderful world of crayfish. Building on my diverse background in marine ecology, I made the jump to the freshwater crayfish world to examine the environmental conditions that support these amazing aquatic species, which play critical roles in maintaining the ecosystem health and biodiversity of mountain streams in Australia.

During my 6 month research project, I studied the habitat preferences of Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) in the wild. As with many crayfish species, Murray crayfish have suffered severe declines across their

natural range over the past few decades. While reasonably well studied within lowland streams of the Murray-Darling Basin, there was a poor understanding of their biology and ecology in upland streams. My project helped to address this knowledge gap using visual surveys (snorkeling) of Murray crayfish distribution and abundance in upland rivers of New South Wales, Australia, in concert with measurements of habitat depth, flow velocity, riparian vegetation, and streambed composition, to determine their habitat preferences over meso- (>10m, pools, rapids) and micro-habitat (


The International Association of Astacology (IAA), founded in Hintertal, Austria in 1972, is dedicated to the study, conservation, and wise utilization of freshwater crayfish. Any individual or institution interested in furthering the study of astacology is eligible for membership. Service to members includes a quarterly newsletter (Crayfish News), a membership directory, biennial international symposia and publication of the journal Freshwater Crayfish.

Secretariat:

The International Association of Astacology has a permanent secretariat managed by James Stoeckel. Address: IAA Secretariat, Room 203, Swingle Hall, Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University, AL 36849-5419, USA.

Tel: +1(334) 844-9249 / Fax: +1(334) 844-9208 E-mail: [email protected]

Web page: http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/IAA/ Webmaster: James W. Fetzner Jr.

E-mail: [email protected]

IAA Executive Board Members:

In addition to the IAA Officers and Past President, the Executive Board also includes Jason Coughran (Australia), Antonio Garza de Yta (México), Pavel Kozák (Czech Republic), Ivana Maguire (Croatia), Steph Parkyn, Chairman of the Board (Australia), Alastair Richardson (Tasmania) and Christopher Taylor (USA).

Officers:

Susan B. Adams, President — USDA Forest Service, 1000 Front Street, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States of America. E-mail: [email protected] Lennart Edsman, President-Elect — Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU Aqua, Institute of Freshwater Research, Stangholmsvagen 2, Drottningholm, Sweden, SE-178 93. E-mail: [email protected] Tadashi Kawai, Secretary — Fisheries Research Department, Wakkanai Fisheries Research Institute, Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan. E-mail: [email protected] Leopold Füreder, Immediate Past President — Institute of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail: [email protected]

Statements and opinions expressed in Crayfish News are

not necessarily those of the International Association of Astacology.

This issue edited by James W. Fetzner Jr., IAA Managing Editor.

E-Mail: [email protected]

President’s Corner

Susan Adams, Ph.D.

IAA President (USA)

Dear IAA Members,

As a lifelong nature lover and a bit of an introvert, it took me an embarrassingly long time to embrace the idea that working as an ecologist was more about people than about the ecosystems I studied. Since understanding this, I have developed a special love of the intersections between cultural expressions and my study subjects. In part, such connections are just plain fun, but also, art reflects what is important to a culture and so provides an interesting perspective on the things I study. For example, fish art is nearly universal, largely because fish are a staple food in so many cultures. But with crayfish, one often has to search a bit harder for cultural connections, depending on where one lives. Finding crayfish depictions in the art of many older cultures is even more challenging.

I have particularly enjoyed the incorporation of crayfish art from across centuries into IAA meetings. During IAA16 in Australia, I did not find any aboriginal art depictions of freshwater crayfish, but the meeting logo was a stunning new abstract crayfish painting. At IAA17 in Kuopio, Finland, I was delighted to see a

crayfish sculpted onto a building in the market square, and the banquet table runners sported a festive crayfish motif. IAA18 in Missouri, USA, included artwork by a local scientific illustrator. At IAA19 in Innsbruck, Austria, Leo shared a 15th or 16th century painting of a nighttime crayfish harvesting foray from Maximilian I’s hunting treatise. Finally, I was particularly delighted to see crayfish references in an Ainu exhibit at a museum in Sapporo, Japan, during IAA20. So, reading the article in this issue about an ancient, east-Asian musical instrument with ties to crayfish was a wonderful surprise!

As crayfish enthusiasts, we are the people most likely to kindle, or re-kindle, interest in and passion for crayfishes by the public in our respective nations. I have come to believe that encouraging interest in crayfish is as important as conducting our science, because people will only conserve what they care about. To that end, the IAA board has agreed to support a new, annual IAA award honoring crayfish outreach efforts. It will be awarded to one member each year, along with a $100 prize. The purpose of

(Continued on page 3)

mailto:[email protected]://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/IAA/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


the award is to inspire and recognize outreach efforts and to share ideas about creative, effective ways to conduct outreach. I am hoping that some IAA STUDENTS will volunteer to run and judge this award. If any student members are interested in participating, please contact me – no experience required. We also need a name for the award -- please send me your suggestions!

Another opportunity for IAA STUDENTS to become involved is to help organize and run the student auction at IAA21. Even if you cannot attend the meeting, you can help solicit items for the auction. We would like to begin having a student-run auction at each IAA meeting, with the proceeds supporting the student travel awards. This is done very successfully by many other professional societies.

Other IAA21 meeting reminders:

IAA 21 will be held 5-8 September, 2016 at the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid, Spain, with options for a workshop before and a field trip after the meeting (see the meeting website for details: http://iaa21rjb.es/).

The Early-bird registration deadline is 15 May, and the late-bird deadline is 20 June.

Please be thinking of auction items that you might contribute! Break out that crayfish art!

Are you considering a bid to host IAA22? If so, now is the time to be developing your bid so that it is ready prior to IAA21. If you are considering a bid, will you please let me know soon?

Happy crayfishing and I hope to see you in Madrid! H

Susie Adams IAA President

[email protected]

(Continued from page 2)

percentage of overhanging vegetation, and streambed dominated by boulders and gravel. Using data from a previous survey conducted in 2009, I was able to demonstrate how major shifts in their preferred habitat conditions over a six year period was associated with a 91% decline of Murray crayfish in the preferred pool mesohabitats. These findings highlighted that the threatened Murray crayfish are particularly sensitive to changes in their preferred stream habitat conditions.

My research project was recently published (Noble and Fulton 2016), and I will be working with local government agencies and community stakeholders to help to direct plans for the restoration and targeted protection of crayfish-preferred mountain stream habitats to ensure the survival of this important species. Please contact me if anyone has any questions or would like to discuss these topics further. Thank

you! H

Mae M. Noble Fenner School of Environment and Society

Australian National University

References

Noble MM and Fulton CJ (2016) Habitat specialization and sensitivity to change in threatened crayfish occupying upland streams. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. [In Press].


Photo 2. Murray crayfish in the Goobarragandra River, NSW. (Photo: Mae Noble).

mailto:[email protected]://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2620http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2620http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2620http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.2620


Short Articles

Crayfish Music in Far-east Asia

Far-east Asia is home to an endemic genus of freshwater crayfish, Cambaroides, with seven species known from Russia, Japan, Mongolia, China, and North and South Korea (Kawai et al. 2015). In July, 2015, one of the authors (TK) visited Vladivostok Museum, Vladivostok, in far-east Russia, and observed a cultural object inspired by these crayfish. At the souvenir shop of the museum, the staff kindly introduced a crayfish item made from steel (Figure 1). Fashioned like the “chela of crayfish”, this is a traditional musical instrument in Russia and Japan, far-east Asia, where it has long been used by the indigenous Ainu people (Chiba, 2008).

The instrument is essentially a type of lamellophone, similar to the jew’s harp, and was one of the most important instruments used by the indigenous Ainu people of Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Hokkaido, northern Japan (or Hokkaido, Japan) (Chiba, 2008). In Ainu culture, the instrument is called “kani-mukkuri”

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3XyUvBR3F8,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwi4kBX3Wmo,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyJeCpSvqUA

15th September 2015 downloaded), translated as crayfish flute. It is believed to have originated in mainland Asia a long time ago, and then conveyed to Japan from there (Kawai and Onimaru 2006). Similar instruments are also known from traditional cultures throughout the circumboreal region (Malm 2000), although it is not clear if they have a cultural connection with crayfish, like the kani-mukkuri of the Ainu does. One of the authors (EB) lives in far-east mainland Asia, and is familiar with Ainu culture in this region, and the use of kani-mukkuri and other versions of the instrument that are used more widely around the world. There is a consensus that this is one of the most ancient musical instruments; the exact place of origin is not known, but researchers assume that it most probably appeared in Southern Asia, from where it spread to other regions of the world – to other parts of Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America. The most ancient form of this musical instrument is based on a branch or a chip (for example, such versions of the instrument are still used in Russia among the people of Tuva, under the name “yyash-homus”). According to some information, the instrumentit is variably known by about 1,000 names. In Russia, it is known by practically all ethnic groups. For example, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians call it a “vargan” or “drymba”; Tatars and the Bashkir – a “kubyz”; Khakases – a “timir-khomus”; Tuvinians – a “demir-khomus”; Altaians – a “komus”; Yakuts – a “khomus”; the Chukchi – a “vanny-yayar”; and the Khanty and Mansi – a “tumran”. To this day, the instrument is still very popular with the people of Altai, Bashkiria, Tuva and Yakutia. For convenience, and because of the clear association with crayfish, we will hereon refer to the instrument under the Ainu name, kani-mukkuri.

Traditionally played by women, the kani-mukkuri is played by first holding the chelae of the instrument in the mouth, and then using a combination of breathing and snapping a string from the central “tongue” of the instrument. Quite a jaunty, rhythmic sound fills the room! The kani-mukkuri melody is thought of as the music of nature. It proceeds from the soul of the performer, and gives flight to the imagination. In its sound can be heard the sounds of wind, grass rustling, the scratching of trees in the wood, the murmur of running water – conveying to the performer and the listener wonderful images of spacious plains, wide rivers and high mountains. The performer can travel in dream to the distant country of ancestors, and see the people who long ago have left this world. Images of days gone by, or of future events, may enter the mind’s eye of both the performer, and the audience. This is more of an emotional state of soul; when you listen to this ancient music, you can be mentally refocused to thoughts of the past or the future. Everything depends on the art of the performer. It helps readjust one after the performance of daily affairs, providing relaxation after hard work. Thus, during this idle time, through the visual and musical performance, and at the same time something more profound that cannot be explained, the instrument can bear a set of stories, associated with it or the performer.

The kani-mukkuri has two very sad and secret stories that are told among Ainu people in Japan.

A long time ago in Hokkaido, Japan, an Ainu hunter went hunting bear, and stayed in a small hunting hut. While there, he heard a very funny sound coming from near the brook, so he left the hut to walk down to the brook. At the side of brook, a beautiful young girl was sitting on the edge of a well; she had in her hand some kind of instrument, and was performing music. The hunter closed in towards the girl, and at that moment the girl suddenly fell and dropped down to the bottom of the deep well, never to return. At the edge of the well, the hunter discovered that the instrument had remained behind, and it was the kani-mukkuri. That night, back in the hunter’s hut, the hunter had a curious dream. The young girl at the well appeared in his dream, and she said, “I am a crayfish. My parents always reprove me, since I play kani-mukkuri too much. But I cannot stop playing, so my parents renounced me. I performed kani-mukkuri with sadness while sitting down on the edge of the well, just before daytime. Then, you came to be there, and so I could pass you the instrument. It was because of your actions that I could give up playing kani-mukkuri, so I am really pleased because I will now tell my better situation to my parents. Today, on the back of this story, kani-mukkuri is naturally conveyed to Ainu people in Japan.

Another story: Two brothers went to the river to catch fish for food. In the river, the older brother caught a crayfish who had the kani-mukkuri instrument. The older brother took the instrument from the crayfish, and passed the kani-mukkuri to his younger sister. Then, he released the animal


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3XyUvBR3F8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwi4kBX3Wmohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyJeCpSvqUA


back to the river. After that, kani-mukkuri was conveyed and performed to Ainu people in Japan.

Today, kani-mukkuri is performed by Ainu peoples in Japan, and also far-east Russian people in mainland Asia.

Freshwater crayfish of the genus Cambaroides also occur across those two areas. Hence, northern Japan and far-east mainland Asia share the same crayfish genus, and the same traditional music – and in kani-mukkuri, the two elements come together! This is an interesting shared cultural history, of music and crayfish, between the mainland and islands of eastern Asia.

The origin of the Ainu musical instrument kani-mukkuri is shrouded in secrets and riddles, as indeed is the origin of the Ainu themselves – the cultural heritage of this most mysterious northern people, the Ainu, became integrated

with the people of Japan, and is slowly being rediscovered. H

Tadashi Kawai, Sapporo, Japan

Evgeny Barabanshchikov,

Vladivostok, Russia

and Jason Coughran Perth, Australia

References

Chiba N (2008). The Music of the Ainu. Pp. 323-344, In: Tokita AM and Hughes DW (eds), The Ashgate Research Companion to Japanese Music. Ashgate Publishing Limited, England.

Kawai T and Onimaru K (2006). Natural history of the Japanese crayfish, Cambaroides japonicus. Bulletin of Bihoro Museum 14: 63-86.

Kawai T and Takahata M (2010). Biology of Crayfish. Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo.

Kawai T, Min GS, Barabanshchikov E, Labay VS and Ko HS (2015). Global Overview of Freshwater: chapter 15: Asia: in section Crayfish Biology. Pp. 313-368. Kawai T, Faulkes Z, and G. Scholtz (eds.). Taylor & Francis, Florida.

Malm WP (2000). Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments. Kodansha International, Tokyo.

The Body Color of Freshwater Crayfish and Perfectly Symmetrical Bi-colored Cherax

albidus from Australia

Color of live crayfish

Astacologists and many aquarists are fascinated by the beautiful body color of live crayfish. Crayfish color apparently results from various protein conjunctions with the carotenoid astaxanthin (Fox 1953, Goodwin 1960). The resulting colors include greens, blues and purples, as well as the more characteristic browns; if the protein is denatured, the color is



Figure 1. Upper, entrance of souvenir shop of Vladivostok Museum; middle, Russian ladies in the shop; Kani-Mukkuri (Crayfish flute), a traditional instrument of the aborigines of Far-East Asia, Russia and Japan.


red. Black (1975) recognized at least four shades of blue in Procambarus (Ortmannicus) acutus acutus and Momot and Gall (1971) gave an excellent summary of the reported variants known at that time, plus explanations of the possible causes for the unusual individuals.

Another fluorescent blue coloration in individuals of North American cambarid crayfishes and a member of the

Asian genus Cambaroides were rarely collected in the wild, these animals are the so-called blue color phase (Fitzpatrick 1987, Kawai 1993, Kawai et al. 2006). Sometimes, albino (milky white body color) animals occurred in the aquarium trade, additionally they were utilized as subjects of scientific laboratory experiments. Indeed, if we can breed the albino individuals, it will be confirmed that occurrence of albino in hatched juveniles were controlled by “Mendel’s laws” (Nakatani 1999) and their hormones manage the pigment, and body color was controlled by a black color pigment (Nakatani 2000).

Various explanations have been proposed to account for these color variations. Their body color has been managed by two factors, their genetics and environmental circumstances (Hand 1954, Valpe and Penn 1957). There is, however, only one set of experimental data for the question, as far as I know. As early as 1901, Kent suggested that environmental factors might influence the blue (and other) color. He noted that sunlight (probably by denaturing the protein in the astaxanthin complex) could elicit a red color in Orconectes immunis, and he reported general “colors” in crayfish species. Additionally, IAA member Mr. Sunagawa of Japan, also showed fantastic results with his experiment. He fed only frozen fish meat to regular red-colored Procambarus clarkii, and after two months, the initial body color of the experimental individual changed to a blue color, then after four months from the start of the experiment, the body color of the animal became a perfect milky-white color, like an albino (Figure 2). We should consider that body color can be affected by food type and colors may not be managed by genes alone.

Unfortunately, we do not know if body color is affected by food in their natural habitat, or controlled by their genes, or whether both factors working in concert affect their body color. However, in the aquarium trade, sometimes irregularly colored animals are sold in pet shops and Mr. Sunagawa provided me with an interesting photo (Figure 1). This suggests that color patterns in weak, bi-colored crayfish, seems to be controlled by genetics. Additionally, perfectly symmetrical bi-colored Orconectes virilis have been collected in Iowa, USA, with one half of the animal an azure blue and the other half normal (Dowell and Winier 1969), it suggested that crayfish color in the wild is controlled by their genetics, at least in this case. So far, to my knowledge, the description of this perfectly symmetrical color pattern in crayfish is limited to this report. Recently, Australian IAA member, Robert McCormack (RM) supplied some interesting information, see details below.

Symmetrical bi-color

As one of Australia’s largest freshwater crayfish producers, RM has personally handled 500,000-1,000,000 yabbies Cherax destructor per year for over 30 years. Additionally, RM has captured just about every species of freshwater crayfish that occurs in Australia. Interestingly,



Figure 1. Crayfish color variants. A) Unusual body color Procambarus clarkii in aquarium trade in Japan, B) Typical green colored Cherax albidus and C) a fluorescent blue coloration of the same species.

A

B

C


with all those crayfish, RM has come across the extremely rare, perfectly symmetrical, bi-colored crayfish only five times previously, and they were all Cherax destructor.

Cherax albidus have a natural wide color range, typically they are green to blue with a bright fluorescent blue coloration being popular with the aquarium trade (Figure 1C). It has always been RM’s belief that crayfish match their coloration to their environment, with the colors most suitable for survival being the ones that survive and are passed on to future generations. In a natural population, 95% plus will all be the same color and only a few specimens are differently colored individuals. On a recent crayfish trip to Victoria, RM came across a bi-colored Cherax albidus at one of Victoria’s largest crayfish producers, Otway Yabbies (Figure 3). The proprietor, Steve Chara, showed RM this unique and rare specimen. After a day of trapping, he was grading the catch when he saw this unique specimen. He retrieved it from the batch and placed it in one of his display tanks. This display tank also contained small blue Cherax albidus, all of which were only a quarter of the size of the bi-colored female. The tank also contained a Swamp Yabby, Cherax sp., which was a male. When RM photographed the bi-colored female Cherax albidus she was in-berry and the eggs looked viable. The question is, did she mate with a significantly smaller male C. albidus, or did she mate with the smaller male Cherax sp., which was roughly 80% of her size? Either way, it will be interesting to see what the offspring look like. Stay tuned for an up-date in a month or two.

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank IAA member Mr. M.

Sunagawa from Japan, who provided Figures 1 and 2. H

Rob McCormack NSW, Australia

Tadashi Kawai Hokkaido, Japan

References

Black JB (1975). Inheritance of the blue color mutation in the crawfish Procambarus acutus acutus (Girard). Proceeding of Louisiana Academy of Science 38:25–27.



Figure 2. Change of body color in the red swamp crayfish, Pro-cambarus clarkii when kept under aquarium conditions. A) initial; B) after two months, C) four months after starting experiment where crayfish were fed only frozen fish meat.

Figure 3. Bi-colored Cherax albidus.


Dowell VE and Winter LP (1969). A bilateral colour anomaly in the crayfish Orconectes virilis (Hagen). Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science 76: 487–492.

Fitzpatrick Jr. JF (1987). Notes on the so-called “Blue color phase” in North American Cambarid crawfishes (Decapoda, Astacoidea). Crustaceana 52(3):316–319.

Fox DL (1953). Animal biochromes and structural colors. Cambridge University Press, London. Pp. 1–379.

Goodwin TW (1960). Biochemistry of pigments. Pp. 101–140, In: The Physiology of Crustacea. Vol. 1. Waterman TH (ed.). Academic Press, New York.

Hand C (1954). A blue crayfish from California. California Fish and Game 40:437–438.

Kawai T (1993). Incidence of blue color phase of Cambaroides japonicus in Hokkaido. The Bulletin of the Higashi Taisetsu Museum of Natural History 15:73–76.

Kawai T, Kawajiri H, Kumagai T and H Ashikari (2006). Blue color variants of the Japanese freshwater crayfish Cambaroides japonicus in Hokkaido, Japan. Bulletin of Bihoro Museum 14: 55–62.

Kent WJ (1901). The colors of the crayfish. American Naturalist 35(419):933–936.

Momot WT and JE Gall (1971). Some ecological notes on the blue color phase of the crayfish, Orconectes virilis, in two Lakes. Ohio Journal of Science 71(6): 363–370.

Nakatani I (1999). An albino of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae) and its offspring. Journal of Crustacean Biology 19(2): 380-383.

Nakatani I (2000). Reciprocal transplantation of leg tissue between albino and wild crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Decapoda: Cambaridae). Journal of Crustacean Biology 20(3):453-459.

Volpe EP and Penn GH (1957). The occurrence of blue specimens of the crawfish Procambarus acutus acutus (Girard) (Decapoda: Astacidae). Crustaceana 20(2):221.

Don’t Judge a Crayfish by its Cover: Color Morphs may Render Crayfish

Unidentifiable

Following their introduction into recipient ecosystems, non-native organisms often go unnoticed until they surpass a detection threshold - the point at which their population size and range become sufficiently large so as to draw the attention of managers (Harvey et al. 2009). Detection thresholds are difficult to quantify or predict as they depend on various characteristics of both the focal non-native species and recipient ecosystem, but also on the amount of time and effort being expended by managers in charge of surveying an area. Unfortunately, by the time they are detected, many non-native species have already become invasive (Lockwood et al. 2013). One way to lower detection thresholds is to ensure that both managers and the public are made aware of the risks posed by potential invasive species and are taught how to correctly identify them. Early detection of non-native species is of utmost importance as it may increase the chances of their control or eradication, potentially leading to less severe or widespread impacts (Gherardi et al. 2011).

Biological invasions by crayfish are exceedingly common throughout the world and cause a slew of negative impacts (Lodge et al. 2012). For example, the infamous rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) is a native of the Ohio River Basin that is now invasive throughout much of the Midwestern United States, including all five of the Great Lakes (Peters et al. 2014). Although specific pathways for individual introductions are difficult to determine, invasions of this crayfish are generally attributed to bait-bucket releases by anglers. The rusty crayfish is problematic as it has been shown to negatively affect native crayfish, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates, and fish (Wilson et al. 2004). Without increased attention from managers, the rusty crayfish’s invasive range may continue to expand unhindered, putting additional ecosystems and their constituent organisms in jeopardy.

Because rusty crayfish frequently invade waters where native crayfish are already found, successful preventative management of this species in most areas requires the ability to accurately differentiate it from native crayfish. Precise identification of crayfish generally requires the use of dichotomous keys; however, most managers not specializing in crayfish likely use coloration as a primary distinguishing characteristic, and this method is sufficiently accurate in most cases. Use of coloration to identify potentially invasive crayfish can also easily be taught to the public (e.g., numerous visual resources such as posters and pamphlets are readily available to fishermen and other outdoor enthusiasts). One of the benefits of doing so is that managers and scientists can then rely on the public as “watchmen”, enlisting their help in searching for invasive species and leading to earlier detection.



http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854087X00556http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854087X00556http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854087X00556http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-395628-6.50009-9http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-395628-6.50009-9http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-395628-6.50009-9http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1549245http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1549245http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1549245http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020%5b0453:RTOLTB%5d2.0.CO;2http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020%5b0453:RTOLTB%5d2.0.CO;2http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020%5b0453:RTOLTB%5d2.0.CO;2http://dx.doi.org/10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020%5b0453:RTOLTB%5d2.0.CO;2http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854069X00259http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854069X00259http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156854069X00259


A weakness of this technique that warrants attention, however, is that crayfish color-morphs may often render these organisms nearly unidentifiable to all but experts. What I am specifically referring to are not subtle inter-individual differences in hues but complete changes in coloration arising from mutations. For example, blue, orange, and white color-morphs of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are readily available in the pet trade. While these crayfish are nice to look at, their coloration may allow them to be sold in areas where they are prohibited if managers are only cueing in on the iconic red coloration that this species generally has. Further, these color morphs are not restricted to the aquarium trade; they are also found in nature. While sampling for rusty crayfish in Northern Kentucky, for example, I caught a white rusty crayfish (Figure 1A). Although it has a very faded rusty spot on either side of its cephalothorax, it is not hard to imagine this crayfish being incorrectly identified or written off as “not a rusty crayfish”. In another example, one of my colleagues caught an orange Northern Clearwater Crayfish (O. propinquus) while electroshocking for steelhead in the lower peninsula of Michigan (Figure 1B). Once again, this crayfish would be very difficult to accurately identify without use of morphological

characteristics. While such color morphs are rarely encountered in nature, they are easy to breed in captivity and could one day appear in the pet or bait trade, two pathways that lead to biological invasions (e.g., Lodge et al. 2012)

The existence and abundance (at least in the pet trade) of these various crayfish color morphs is important information to disseminate to the public and researchers to ensure that these organisms do not accidentally go unnoticed. In a time where invasive crayfish are having strong impacts throughout the world, it is important to pull out all of the stops. I encourage crayfish researchers to inform both managers and the public that if they have a doubt about a crayfish, either because its coloration does not match that of the invasive crayfish they are on the lookout for or because it has unusual colors (e.g., blue, white and orange), they should still report it to the proper authorities. In doing so, they may help alert managers to escapes/releases from the pet trade, or invasive species that may have gone unnoticed because of their color morphs. More critical measures are undoubtedly needed to make a serious dent in the prevalence of crayfish invasions throughout the world, but it is my hope that keeping an eye out for the color morphs that I have described above may in some localized cases contribute to early

detection and management of invasive crayfish. H

M.G. Glon Central Michigan University

[email protected] Maelglon.com

References

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Figure 1. A) White rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, caught in Northern Kentucky. Photo credit: Heather Dame and B) Orange northern clearwater crayfish, O. propinquus, caught in the lower peninsula of Michigan. Photo credit: Heather Dame.

A

B

mailto:[email protected]://Maelglon.com/


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Literature of Interest to Astacologists To view abstracts, etc., click on a reference to be taken to the journal

website (some references may not contain links).

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Volume 38, Issue 1Cover StoryPresident’s CornerShort ArticlesCrayfish Music in Far-east AsiaThe Body Color of Freshwater Crayfish andPerfectly Symmetrical Bi-colored Cherax albidus from AustraliaDon’t Judge a Crayfish by its Cover:Color Morphs may Render CrayfishUnidentifiable

Literature of Interest to Astacologists

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