European Crayfish
The European crayfish or noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is a large freshwater crustacean of European rivers and lakes. It has been devastated by the crayfish plague, brought by introduced American crayfish.
The European crayfish or noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is a large freshwater crustacean of European rivers and lakes. It has been devastated by the crayfish plague, brought by introduced American crayfish.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open European Crayfish in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Ecdysozoa lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Plague From America
The water mold Aphanomyces astaci arrived with North American signal crayfish, which are largely resistant carriers. European species have no defense, and whole rivers have lost their crayfish within weeks.
Declining Native
The noble crayfish prefers clean, cool water with hiding places. Pollution, habitat change and invasive species have reduced it, and it is protected in many countries.
A Food and a Symbol
It has been prized as food, especially in Scandinavia, where crayfish parties are an August tradition. See American Lobster.
European Crayfish at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Astacus astacus |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Astacidae |
| Field Guide group | Ecdysozoa: Mandibulata (Mandibulates) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Freshwater stream and lake crustacean with a calcified cephalothorax carapace, a fan-like telson for backward tail-flip escapes, and robust, red-undersided pincers (chelae) on its first pair of walking legs. |
| IUCN Red List status | Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2010 |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Main threat | Crayfish plague |
See Also
- American Lobster — a related decapod
- American Bullfrog — another American invader in Europe