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Red swamp crayfish

Procambarus clarkii

Biological group : Crustacean

Subgroup : Crayfish

Family : Cambaridae

Class : Malacostraca

Order : Decapoda

Environment : Freshwater

Native range : Southern North America

Description

Crustacé décapode d’eau douce originaire d’Amérique du Nord. Son statut réglementaire doit être déterminé par juridiction.

Biology and behaviour

Habitat

Red swamp crayfish inhabit many freshwater environments including marshes, ponds, ditches, canals, rice fields, slow rivers and seasonally flooded wetlands. They tolerate a very wide range of environmental conditions.

Behaviour

They readily construct burrows that allow survival during drought or unfavourable temperatures. They are often active at dusk and during the night and may undertake substantial movements.

Diet

They are omnivorous and consume plants, detritus, algae, insects, other invertebrates, eggs and small aquatic vertebrates. Diet varies with age and available resources.

Reproduction

Reproduction can be rapid and may occur at different times depending on climate. Females carry eggs and young beneath the abdomen and frequently use burrows as refuges during this phase.

Regulations

No verified regulatory rule has yet been published for this species in FLB.

Regulatory information will only be displayed once it has been linked to a specific jurisdiction and verified from an official source.