Distribution of Austropotamobius pallipes (Lereboullet) in Croatia and notes on its morphology

Abstract

In order to gain better insight into the distribution of white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) in Croatia, we pooled together all of the available historical and recent data. The historical data on distribution were compiled from literature and the Croatian Natural History Museum collection. Fieldwork, to evaluate the current distribution of crayfish, took place between 1995 and 2003. The distribution of Austropotamobius pallipes is restricted to the limestone region and therefore the species is found spread in rivers belonging to the Adriatic Sea basin (from NW to SE of Croatia). Those waters are mainly unpolluted and the substrate consists of rocks and stones and crayfish were found near banks. We also occasionally found crayfish in subterranean habitats but as they appear to have no troglomorphic adaptations they are probably of epigean origin. According to data taken from literature, both A. pallipes and A. torrentium live in the coastal rivers. But to date, we have not yet recorded presence of A. torrentium there, while we did record the presence of Astacus astacus. While studying the data from the literature, we were frequently confronted with contradictory findings, therefore, in the near future we are planning to do intensive field research within the coastal region in order to get a clearer picture of the detailed distribution of freshwater crayfish in this part of Croatia. In addition, individuals from four different geographical areas were compared using two morphometric and two meristic characteristics and the results are discussed.