Astacus

Astacus (from the Greek αστακός, astacós, meaning "lobster" or "crayfish")[1] is a genus of crayfish found in Europe and western Asia, comprising three extant and four extinct, fossil species.[2]

This article is about the genus of crayfish. For the city in Greece, see Astakos. For the ancient Greek city now in Turkey, see Astacus (Bithynia). For the mythical figure, see Astacus (mythology).

Astacus
Astacus astacus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Astacidae
Genus: Astacus
Fabricius, 1775
Species

Due to the crayfish plague, crayfish of this genus have declined in Europe and have in many European regions been replaced by the North American signal crayfish, which carries the plague but is unaffected by it.[3]

Extant species

A. astacus
ImageScientific nameCommon NameDistributionDescription
Astacus astacus"European crayfish", "noble crayfish" or "broad-fingered crayfish"France throughout Central Europe, to the Balkan Peninsula, and north as far as parts of the British Isles, Scandinavia, and the western parts of the former Soviet UnionThe most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional foodstuff. Like other crayfish, A. astacus is restricted to fresh water, living only in unpolluted streams, rivers, and lakes. Males may grow up to 16 cm long, and females up to 12 cm.
Astacus leptodactylus"Danube crayfish", "Galician crayfish", "Turkish crayfish", or "narrow-clawed crayfish"Caspian Sea regionImported and introduced to Central Europe in 19th century.
Astacus pachypus"Caspian crayfish"Caspian Sea, the Don river, and parts of the Black Sea and Sea of AzovLives in salinities of up to 14‰.

References
  1. Emmanuil Koutrakis; Yoichi Machino; Dimitra Mylona; Costas Perdikaris (2009). "Crayfish terminology in Ancient Greek, Latin, and other European languages" (PDF). Crustaceana. 82 (12): 1535–1546. doi:10.1163/001121609X12475745628586. Archived from the original (PDF proof) on 2011-07-21.
  2. Sammy De Grave; N. Dean Pentcheff; Shane T. Ahyong; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 21: 1–109.
  3. "Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus)". ARKive. Archived from the original on 2008-03-28. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
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