Astacus

Taxobox
name = "Astacus"

---

image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Astacus astacus"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Decapoda
subordo = Pleocyemata
infraordo = Astacidea
superfamilia = Astacoidea
familia = Astacidae
genus = "Astacus"
genus_authority = Fabricius, 1775
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.

"Astacus" is a genus of crayfish found in Europe and western Asia, comprising three species.

Due to the American crayfish plague, crayfish of this genus have been almost wiped out in Europe and have in many European countries been replaced by the North American signal crayfish, which is more resistant to the plague. This, often illegal, implantation of signal crayfish has made it very difficult to reintroduce "Astacus" in the wild since the signal crayfish does carry the plague and infects lakes and rivers it inhabits.

"Astacus" has been added to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.In Europe, and in particular in Scandinavia, "Astacus" is often considered to be the original and finer, thus more expensive, crayfish.

pecies

* "Astacus astacus" Linnaeus, 1758, the noble crayfish, European crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish
* "Astacus leptodactylus" Eschscholtz, 1823, the Danube crayfish or Galician crayfish
* "Astacus pachypus" Rathke, 1837

External links

* [http://iz.carnegiemnh.org/crayfish/NewAstacidea/infraorder.asp?io=Astacidea Crayfish Taxon Browser]
* http://www.american.edu/TED/crayfish.htm
* http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=2191
* [http://somethin-tropical.epaulv.com Crayfish News]
* [http://crayfish.epaulv.com Crayfish Pictures]