Abstract
Invasive freshwater crayfish are spreading rapidly across the world. Here, we report the first record of Australian redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens, 1868) in Hong Kong, China. Identification of the captured crayfish was confirmed using external morphological features and molecular analyses. A total of 49 crayfish were captured from a stream pool and a reservoir in Pok Fu Lam Country Park using dip nets and funnel traps. The captured C. quadricarinatus ranged from 17.20 mm to 56.40 mm (mean = 30.70 mm) in carapace length and the sex ratio was 1:1. Since this species is globally recognized as an invasive species, a comprehensive survey on its status and invasion front, an investigation into its potential ecological impacts, as well as the formulation of a monitoring and removal strategy, are warranted.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 369-377 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | BioInvasions Records |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | Feb 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank Hau Ka Ki Anthony and Au Ming-Fung Franco for assistance with field work. We thank the scientific officers at Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Biology for logistical support. We thank the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department for issuing a permit to collect crayfish for this study. We thank the anonymous reviewers for providing helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. We thank Ackley Lane for editing.
Publisher Copyright:
© Yau and Lau.
Keywords
- Invasive crayfish
- Ornamental trade
- Pet release
- Reservoir
- Stream
