Slovak section of the Danube has its well-established breeding ground of marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax f. virginalis

Established populations of the non-indigenous parthenogenetically reproducing marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax f. virginalis have been recently reported from various European countries. The colonised sites are usually lentic and relatively isolated from major watercourses and in such cases the im...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Knowledge and management of aquatic ecosystems 2017 (418), p.40
Main Authors: Lipták, Boris, Mojžišová, Michaela, Gruľa, Daniel, Christophoryová, Jana, Jablonski, Daniel, Bláha, Martin, Petrusek, Adam, Kouba, Antonín
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aphanomyces astaci
aquatic invasion
asexual reproduction
Breeding grounds
Breeding sites
Colonization
Crayfish
Developmental stages
Eggs
Fecundity
Females
Freshwater crustaceans
Harbors
Harbours
Juveniles
Offspring
Orconectes limosus
Pathogens
pet trade
Plague
Population
Populations
Procambarus fallax
Procambarus virginalis
Progeny
Propagation
Pumping
Pumping stations
Slovakia
Watercourses
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Summary:Established populations of the non-indigenous parthenogenetically reproducing marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax f. virginalis have been recently reported from various European countries. The colonised sites are usually lentic and relatively isolated from major watercourses and in such cases the immediate threat of the spread of this taxon is limited. Here we report on a marbled crayfish population that is likely to become a seed for colonisation of the Danube in Slovakia. It is located in a channel within the Slovak capital Bratislava in the immediate vicinity of a pumping station that occasionally releases significant amounts of water into the side arm of the Danube. The population is well established with a high growth potential: numerous adult marbled crayfish individuals were observed at the site in September and October 2016 and the progeny (eggs or first two developmental stages) of 27 berried females exceeded 11 000 individuals. The maximum observed fecundity per female reached 647 juveniles in the second developmental stage. The Danube side arm downstream of the pumping station harbours a population of spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus infected with the crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci. We presume that marbled crayfish is already present below the pumping station and it is just a matter of effort and time until it is discovered. The investigated specimens of marbled crayfish were found free of A. astaci, but horizontal transmission from infected spiny-cheek crayfish may be expected, as well as further spread of marbled crayfish in the Danube.
ISSN:1961-9502
1961-9502
DOI:10.1051/kmae/2017029