Biology:Astacus leptodactylus

From HandWiki
Short description: Species of crayfish


Astacus leptodactylus
Blausteinsee Tierwelt 05.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Astacidae
Genus: Astacus
Species:
A. leptodactylus
Binomial name
Astacus leptodactylus
Eschscholtz, 1823

Astacus leptodactylus, the Danube crayfish,[1] Galician crayfish,[1] Turkish crayfish[2] or narrow-clawed crayfish is a species of brackish water crayfish imported and introduced to Central Europe in 19th century from the Caspian Sea region.[2]

Description

Astacus leptodactylus can grow up to 30 centimetres (12 in) in length from the tip of the rostrum to the end of the telson (tail), but is more commonly found at around 15 cm (6 in) in length. The sides of the thorax are very rough, usually pale yellow to pale green in colour. A. leptodactylus has two pairs of post-orbital ridges, the second of which may have spines. It also has a prominent tubercle (small nodule) on shoulder of the carapace. The claws of Astacus leptodactylus are long and narrow (hence the common name 'narrow-clawed crayfish'). Their upper surface is rough and the underside is the same colour as the body. A tubercle can be found on the fixed side of the claw. A. leptodactylus can be distinguished most easily from the European or broad-fingered crayfish, Astacus astacus, by the relatively thinner "fingers" of the claws. Further studies done on the Astacus leptodactylus found that they can be co-infected by two or more different pathogens. A study done by R. Salighehzadeh saw that after collecting 10 narrow-clawed crayfish found that they contained 2 pathogenic isolates simultaneously, the Aeromonas hydrophilia and Fusarium solani.[3]

Ecology

Astacus leptodactylus is fairly docile, especially the male with large claws, and favours relatively still brackish waters such as lakes and canals. It is listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[4]

References

External links

Wikidata ☰ Q571290 entry