First record of a marbled crayfish procambarus virginalis (Lyko, 2017) population in france

Abstract

Here we report the first record of marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis in France. In total, 34 individuals were found in a pond close to the Moselle River, coexisting with the invasive Faxonius limosus and the native Astacus astacus. Their presence seems limited to one pond of the seven located in this area, probably due to a very recent human introduction. Molecular analyses based on COI mt gene confirmed the morphological identification of captured specimens as marbled crayfish. The risk of spread to the Moselle is very high particularly during flood periods. Management recommendations are given.