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Astacus astacus

Astacus astacus, the European crayfish, noble crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional food source. Like other true crayfish, A. astacus is restricted to fresh water, living only in unpolluted streams, rivers, and lakes. It is found from France throughout Central Europe, to the Balkan Peninsula, and north as far as Scandinavia and Finland, and Eastern Europe. Males may grow up to 16 cm long, and females up to 12 cm.[3]

Astacus astacus
Astacus astacus
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Family: Astacidae
Genus: Astacus
Species:
A. astacus
Binomial name
Astacus astacus
Subspecies[2]
  • A. a. astacus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • A. a. canadziae Starobogatov, 1996
Synonyms[2]
  • Astacus fluviatilis Fabricius, 1775
  • Cancer astacus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Cancer nobilis Schrank, 1803

Ecology edit

 
Noble crayfish can vary greatly in colour.[4]

European crayfish feed on worms, aquatic insects, molluscs, and plants.

They are nocturnal, spending the day resting in a burrow. They prefer habitats with high levels of shelter availability.[1] The waters they are found in tend to be soft-bottomed with some sand, and they do not tend to be found in muddy water.[1]

A. astacus become sexually mature after three to four years and a series of moults, and breed in October and November. Fertilised eggs are carried by the female, attached to her pleopods, until the following May, when they hatch and disperse.

The main predators of A. astacus, both as juveniles and adults, are European mink, eels, perch, pike, Eurasian otters, and muskrats.[3] There is also some risk of predation via cannibalism.[1]

A. astacus is sensitive to dips in oxygen levels in the water it inhabits, which makes it particularly vulnerable to eutrophication. However, they are capable of tolerating lower calcium levels than most other species of crayfish.[1]

A. astacus is regarded as a keystone species in the environments it inhabits. Crayfish are an important part of the freshwater food web as they provide a source of food to many aquatic species and boost primary productivity by foraging on freshwater plants. The loss of crayfish in a freshwater environment is known to cause macrophyte growth, which can be a cause for eutrophication and an overall degradation in water quality.[5]

Consumption edit

This species was once abundant in Europe, although it was expensive to buy, and is considered to be the finest edible crayfish.[3] It is, however, susceptible to the crayfish plague carried by the invasive North American species signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), so is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List.[1] Since the introduction of the plague, A. astacus has dropped to about 5% of its preexisting population.[5]

 
A golden crayfish pictured in the coat of arms of Oulainen

Documentation of the consumption of A. astacus dates back to the Middle Ages, when it was popular among the Swedish nobility, spreading to all social classes by the 17th and 18th centuries due to its ready availability. The crayfish are collected from the wild in traps, a practice which is being replaced by more intensive aquaculture of the signal crayfish in man-made ponds.[6] The consumption of crayfish is an important part of traditional Nordic culture, including the crayfish party (Swedish: kräftskiva; Finnish: rapujuhlat), a feast to mark the end of summer.[6]

Hundreds of smaller or larger lakes were once found in the northern Moldavia, used for growing A. astacus meant for consumption during the extended fasting periods of the Orthodox Christian calendar. The area of the former Dorohoi County was one such area, and this legacy was visible in the county's historical coat of arms, featuring an A. astacus (Romanian: rac).

Astacin edit

Astacins are a family of digestive enzymes, discovered in the 1990s, which were first isolated from A. astacus. More than 20 enzymes of this group have since been discovered in animals from Hydra to humans.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f L. Edsman; L. Füreder; F. Gherardi & C. Souty-Grosset (2010). "Astacus astacus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2010: e.T2191A9338388. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T2191A9338388.en.
  2. ^ a b Crandall, Keith A; De Grave, Sammy (2017). "An updated classification of the freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidea) of the world, with a complete species list". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 37 (5): 615–653. doi:10.1093/jcbiol/rux070.
  3. ^ a b c . ARKive. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  4. ^ Peter Scheffel & Bernd Sceiba. Plants and Animals of Central Europe (Pflanzen und Tiere).
  5. ^ a b "Value of Biodiversity - Documenting EU examples where biodiversity loss has led to the loss of ecosystem services". ieep.eu. Retrieved 2022-10-14.
  6. ^ a b "Astacus astacus". Slow Food Foundation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  7. ^ J. S. Bond & R. J. Benyon (1995). "The astacin family of metalloendopeptidases". Protein Science. 4 (7): 1247–1261. doi:10.1002/pro.5560040701. PMC 2143163. PMID 7670368.

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Astacus astacus the European crayfish noble crayfish or broad fingered crayfish is the most common species of crayfish in Europe and a traditional food source Like other true crayfish A astacus is restricted to fresh water living only in unpolluted streams rivers and lakes It is found from France throughout Central Europe to the Balkan Peninsula and north as far as Scandinavia and Finland and Eastern Europe Males may grow up to 16 cm long and females up to 12 cm 3 Astacus astacusAstacus astacusConservation statusVulnerable IUCN 3 1 1 Scientific classificationDomain EukaryotaKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass MalacostracaOrder DecapodaSuborder PleocyemataFamily AstacidaeGenus AstacusSpecies A astacusBinomial nameAstacus astacus Linnaeus 1758 Subspecies 2 A a astacus Linnaeus 1758 A a canadziae Starobogatov 1996Synonyms 2 Astacus fluviatilis Fabricius 1775 Cancer astacus Linnaeus 1758 Cancer nobilis Schrank 1803 Contents 1 Ecology 2 Consumption 3 Astacin 4 ReferencesEcology edit nbsp Noble crayfish can vary greatly in colour 4 European crayfish feed on worms aquatic insects molluscs and plants They are nocturnal spending the day resting in a burrow They prefer habitats with high levels of shelter availability 1 The waters they are found in tend to be soft bottomed with some sand and they do not tend to be found in muddy water 1 A astacus become sexually mature after three to four years and a series of moults and breed in October and November Fertilised eggs are carried by the female attached to her pleopods until the following May when they hatch and disperse The main predators of A astacus both as juveniles and adults are European mink eels perch pike Eurasian otters and muskrats 3 There is also some risk of predation via cannibalism 1 A astacus is sensitive to dips in oxygen levels in the water it inhabits which makes it particularly vulnerable to eutrophication However they are capable of tolerating lower calcium levels than most other species of crayfish 1 A astacus is regarded as a keystone species in the environments it inhabits Crayfish are an important part of the freshwater food web as they provide a source of food to many aquatic species and boost primary productivity by foraging on freshwater plants The loss of crayfish in a freshwater environment is known to cause macrophyte growth which can be a cause for eutrophication and an overall degradation in water quality 5 Consumption editThis species was once abundant in Europe although it was expensive to buy and is considered to be the finest edible crayfish 3 It is however susceptible to the crayfish plague carried by the invasive North American species signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus so is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List 1 Since the introduction of the plague A astacus has dropped to about 5 of its preexisting population 5 nbsp A golden crayfish pictured in the coat of arms of OulainenDocumentation of the consumption of A astacus dates back to the Middle Ages when it was popular among the Swedish nobility spreading to all social classes by the 17th and 18th centuries due to its ready availability The crayfish are collected from the wild in traps a practice which is being replaced by more intensive aquaculture of the signal crayfish in man made ponds 6 The consumption of crayfish is an important part of traditional Nordic culture including the crayfish party Swedish kraftskiva Finnish rapujuhlat a feast to mark the end of summer 6 Hundreds of smaller or larger lakes were once found in the northern Moldavia used for growing A astacus meant for consumption during the extended fasting periods of the Orthodox Christian calendar The area of the former Dorohoi County was one such area and this legacy was visible in the county s historical coat of arms featuring an A astacus Romanian rac Astacin editAstacins are a family of digestive enzymes discovered in the 1990s which were first isolated from A astacus More than 20 enzymes of this group have since been discovered in animals from Hydra to humans 7 References edit a b c d e f L Edsman L Fureder F Gherardi amp C Souty Grosset 2010 Astacus astacus The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN 2010 e T2191A9338388 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2010 3 RLTS T2191A9338388 en a b Crandall Keith A De Grave Sammy 2017 An updated classification of the freshwater crayfishes Decapoda Astacidea of the world with a complete species list Journal of Crustacean Biology 37 5 615 653 doi 10 1093 jcbiol rux070 a b c Noble crayfish Astacus astacus ARKive Archived from the original on March 28 2008 Retrieved May 6 2007 Peter Scheffel amp Bernd Sceiba Plants and Animals of Central Europe Pflanzen und Tiere a b Value of Biodiversity Documenting EU examples where biodiversity loss has led to the loss of ecosystem services ieep eu Retrieved 2022 10 14 a b Astacus astacus Slow Food Foundation Retrieved December 18 2019 J S Bond amp R J Benyon 1995 The astacin family of metalloendopeptidases Protein Science 4 7 1247 1261 doi 10 1002 pro 5560040701 PMC 2143163 PMID 7670368 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Astacus astacus amp oldid 1180281005, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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