Ninth International Crustacean Congress annoucement

The 9th International Crustacean Congress (ICC9) will take place 22-25 May 2018, in Washington DC, USA. The conference website is up, and will soon be available through the The Crustacean Society web page. Registration will open shortly.

I think ICC9 will be the latest “Marmorkrebs on the road” spot, and I hope to meet some fellow marbled crayfish enthusiasts there. I have schemes. Oh yes.

External links

ICC9

Lipták and colleagues, 2017

Lipták B, Mojžišová M, Gruľa D, Christophoryová J, Jablonski D, Bláha M, Petrusek A, Kouba A. 2017. Slovak section of the Danube has its well-established breeding ground of marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax f. virginalis. Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems 418: 40. https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2017029

Abstract

Established populations of the non-indigenous parthenogenetically reproducing marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax f. virginalis have been recently reported from various European countries. The colonised sites are usually lentic and relatively isolated from major watercourses and in such cases the immediate threat of the spread of this taxon is limited. Here we report on a marbled crayfish population that is likely to become a seed for colonisation of the Danube in Slovakia. It is located in a channel within the Slovak capital Bratislava in the immediate vicinity of a pumping station that occasionally releases significant amounts of water into the side arm of the Danube. The population is well established with a high growth potential: numerous adult marbled crayfish individuals were observed at the site in September and October 2016 and the progeny (eggs or first two developmental stages) of 27 berried females exceeded 11 000 individuals. The maximum observed fecundity per female reached 647 juveniles in the second developmental stage. The Danube side arm downstream of the pumping station harbours a population of spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus infected with the crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci. We presume that marbled crayfish is already present below the pumping station and it is just a matter of effort and time until it is discovered. The investigated specimens of marbled crayfish were found free of A. astaci, but horizontal transmission from infected spiny-cheek crayfish may be expected, as well as further spread of marbled crayfish in the Danube.

Keywords: pet trade • aquatic invasion • fecundity • asexual reproduction • Slovakia

Benson and colleagues, 2017

Benson A, Stadele C, Gahrs C, Vidal-Gadea A, Stein W. 2017. Behavioral consequences of RNA-mediated suppression of innexin expression in marbled crayfish. Illinois State University graduate student symposium. Normal, Illinois, March 2017. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/bbd8/0f8501fcf81c0605a61fc6cd1622f983f12f.pdf

Abstract

We are using a new genetic model system, the marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis, for examining the causal relationship between genes, neurophysiology and behavior. Due to their parthenogenetic reproduction, short reproductive life cycle (mature after 2-3 months) and ex-utero breeding, marbled crayfish are ideal for studying the role of genes in producing behavioral output. We are employing RNA interference (RNAi) to suppress gene expression and cell-specific GFP (green fluorescent protein) expression to identify neurons involved in controlling behavior.

Innexins serve as the structural components of gap junctions in invertebrates and build transmembrane channels that mediate electrical coupling between neurons, and facilitate cell-cell communication through rapid movement of ions, electrical impulses, and small messenger molecules. Currently, eight distinct Innexin genes have been found. Despite a high degree of homology between different species, little is known about the role the different Innexins have in shaping behavior.

We use RNAi to suppress Innexin-4 expression in marbled crayfish. We hypothesize that a reduction inInnexin-4 expression leads to an impairment of walking behavior and a deficit in tail-flip escape responses, since both of these behaviors depend on rapid cell-cell communication through gap junctions. Our analysis revealed that the marbled crayfish Innexin-4 shows strong homology to other invertebrate species (e.g. D. melanogaster and C. elegans). We constructed double stranded RNA (dsRNA, ~800 base pairs) containing exonic regions of the Innexin gene. After direct injection of juvenile marbled crayfish with Innexin-4 dsRNA, we are monitoring the animals for several days to evaluate changes in walking behavior and tail-flip escape responses. Our preliminary data suggest that both behaviors are reduced after Innexin4-RNAi.

Keywords: None provided.

I got 669 names, and Marmorkrebs ain’t one

A major new crayfish checklist is not available as a preprint. It lists all currently known crayfish species, with a grand total of 669 different species.

I went looking for Marmorkrebs, and found this evaluation of its status:

Unavailable names
Procambarus fallax forma virginalis Martin, Dorn, Kawai, van der Heiden &
Scholtz, 2010: 114.

This interests me for a few reasons. I suspect that this checklist calls Procambarus fallax forma virginalis “unavailable” because the authors (Martin et al. 2010) admitted that the name was a kludge that didn’t follow traditional zoological nomenclature. Martin and colleagues wrote:

If additional data should clarify some of the problematic issues (e.g. confirmation of a single origin and/or the detection of regional populations of the Marmorkrebs in the wild) it should be easy to establish a new species using ‘virginalis’ as epithet.

In 2015, Vogt and colleagues suggested just that: to change the species name of Marmorkrebs to Procambarus virginalis, based on both the genetics and differences like average size.

But so far, the Marmorkrebs community hasn’t bought the arguments for a new species name. I don’t believe I have seen one paper that used “Procambarus virginalis” as the main scientific name. A few have mentioned both names. (In some cases, I was a reviewer on the paper and suggested it would be a good idea).

I’m curious as to what it would take for the Marmorkrebs research community to change the scientific name. And how long it will take to percolate through the scientific literature.

Reference

Crandall KA, De Grave S. An updated classification of  the freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidea) of  the world, with a complete species list. Journal of Crustacean Biology: in press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/rux070

Martin P, Dorn NJ, Kawai T, van der Heiden C, Scholtz G. 2010. The enigmatic Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish) is the parthenogenetic form of Procambarus fallax (Hagen, 1870). Contributions to Zoology 79: 107-118. http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/ctz/vol79/nr03/art03

Shiratori and colleagues, 2017

Shiratori C, Suzuki N, Momohara Y, Shiraishi K, Aonuma H Nagayama T. 2017. Cyclic AMP-regulated opposing and parallel effects of serotonin and dopamine on phototaxis in the Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish). European Journal of Neuroscience 46(3): 1863–1874. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.13632

Abstract

Phototactic behaviors are observed from prokaryotes to amphibians and are a basic form of orientation. We show that the marbled crayfish displays phototaxis in which the behavioral response reverse from negative to positive depending on external light conditions. Animals reared in a 12L/12D light cycle showed negative phototaxis during day-time and positive phototaxis during night-time. Animals reared under constant light conditioning showed negative phototaxis during day- and night-time, while animals reared under constant dark conditioning showed positive phototaxis during day- and night-time. Injection of serotonin leads to a reversal of negative to positive phototaxis in both light/dark-reared and light/light-reared animals while injection of dopamine induced reversed negative phototaxis in dark/dark-reared animals. Four hours of dark adaptation were enough for light/dark-reared animals to reverse phototaxis from negative to positive. Injection of a serotonin 5HT₁ receptor antagonist blocked the reverse phototaxis while serotonin 5HT₂ receptor antagonists had no effects. Similarly, dark/dark-reared animals reversed to showing negative phototaxis after 4 hours of light adaptation. Injection of a dopamine DA₁ receptor antagonist blocked this reverse phototaxis, while dopamine DA₂ receptor antagonists had no effects. Injection of a cAMP analogue into light/dark-reared animals blocked reverse phototaxis after dark adaptation, while adenylate cyclase inhibitor in dark/dark-reared animals blocked reverse phototaxis after light adaptation. These results strongly suggest that serotonin mediates positive phototaxis owing to decreased cAMP levels, while dopamine-mediated negative phototaxis occurs due to increased cAMP levels. Supporting this, the ratio of serotonin to dopamine in the brain was much higher in dark/dark-reared than light/dark-reared animals

Keywords: crayfish • taxis • biogenic amines • second messenger • circadian rhythm

The Lausanne Resolution turns 30

Today marks the 30^th anniversary of the Lausanne Resolution, when the world’s leading crayfish experts of the day said to governments, “Stop importing crayfish.”

All of the points listed as reasons to support the resolution are still true.

The resolution is currently up on the International Association for Astacology website as a scanned PDF). This was published in an issue of the journal Freshwater Crayfish (volume 7, page XI), although no PDF of that issue is online yet. I am reproducing it here so that there is a version on the web that is more readily available, discoverable by search engines, and shared, either on social media or by good ol’ cutting and pasting.

RESOLUTION

7^th International Symposium of Astacology - Lausanne, Switzerland,

August 5, 1987

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The Astacologists of the International Association of Astacology meeting in its seventh International symposium in Lausanne, Switzerland, August 3-5, 1987, have noted:

• the damaging effects to live crayfish markets following the drastic decline in Turkish crayfish production,
• the marketing of new living crayfish species from many different places,
• the total absence of guarantees that such crayfish do not carry communicable parasites and diseases.
• the appearance of epidemics in European crayfish of aphanomycosis (the crayfish plague parasite), especially where it has not previously existed,
• the accrued risks of transmission of parasites and diseases, especially aphanomycosis, from other crayfish populations to native crayfish,
• the grave menace to native crayfish populations from introduction of undesirable exotic crayfish, and
• the potential for exposing fish to diseases and parasites born by crayfish.

Therefore, in view of the need for conservation of indigenous species and populations, we recommend that Governments find the means to stop the importation of living crayfish into their countries for any purpose (food, fish bait, pets, etc.), except for governmentally approved research, restockings or introductions.

Further, those Governments should be responsible for assuring that such living crayfish are parasite and disease free. Finally, Governments should encourage the restoration of native crayfish stocks wherever possible.

We encourage the immediate international adoption of this resolution.

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Reference

International Association of Astacology. 1988. Lausanne Resolution. Freshwater Crayfish 7: XI. http://www.freshwatercrayfish.org/docs/Lausanne_Resolution_1987.pdf

Hagen, 1870

Hagen HA. 1870. Monograph of the North American Astacidae. Illustrated Catalogue of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College 3: 1-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.4923

Abstract

Without abstract. First paragraph of Introduction:

The following monograph of the Fresh-water Crawfishes of North America is intended to form the first step in a scientific examination of the rich crustacean materials contained in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, in Cambridge. The excellent monograph of the genus Callinectes, published by Mr. A. Ordway in 1863, is the only work about Crustacea, based principally upon the Cambridge collection.

Keywords: None provided.

Note: While doing some research to make a point, I discovered that the original species description for Procambarus fallax, the sexual form of Marmorkrebs, is available online. Since taxonomic sources are not cited anywhere near often enough, I include it here. The Procambarus fallax description is on pages 45 and 46 (mostly in Latin).