Jimenez and Faulkes, 2010

Jimenez SA, Faulkes Z. 2010. Establishment and care of a colony of parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Marmorkrebs. Invertebrate Rearing 1(1): 10-18.
http://inverts.info/content/establishment-and-care-laboratory-colony-parthenogenetic-marbled-crayfish-marmorkrebs

Abstract

Marmorkrebs are parthenogenetic marbled crayfish whose origins are unknown. They have potential to be a model organism for biological research because they are genetically uniform, and to be an invasive pest species. Maintaining self-sustaining breeding colonies is a key element of most successful model organisms. We tried to find the best conditions for establishing and maintaining a Marmorkrebs breeding colony for research. Marmorkrebs can be bred in a compact tank system originally designed for zebrafish. Occasional use of live food (Artemia nauplii) did not significantly enhance growth of Marmorkrebs compared to an Artemia replacement. The presence of shelters did not affect growth of Marmorkrebs. High juvenile mortality poses the most significant obstacle to establishing a self-sustaining research colony of Marmorkrebs, although relatively few adults would be needed to supply many viable embryos for developmental research.

Keywords: crayfish • parthenogenesis • Marmorkrebs