“Marmorkrebs” is an informal name given to marbled crayfish that were discovered by hobbyists in Germany in the late 1990s. “Marmorkrebs” roughly translates from German as “marbled crab.” The scientific name for Marmorkrebs is Procambarus virginalis (previously Procambarus fallax f. virginalis). They are an asexual relative of slough crayfish (Procambarus fallax) that live across Florida and southern Georgia in the United States. There are no known native populations of Marmorkrebs in North America; the only known cases of them in the wild are where they have been introduced by humans.
Marmorkrebs are parthenogenetic: they are all females, and reproduce without sex. This is the only decapod crustacean found that reproduces only this way, giving it incredible potential as a model organism for research. Some of the advantages of Marmorkrebs are that they are genetically identical, reproduce at high rates, and are easy to care for.
Marmorkrebs are also an invasive species. They have been introducted in many places, and have established populations in at least many countries, damaging agriculture and threatening native species. Marmorkrebs should not be used for bait (see here), kept in outdoor tanks or ponds (Marmorkrebs can migrate over land; see here), or placed in any other situation where they could be released into natural ecosystems. In North America, Marmorkrebs are prohibited in Missouri (since 2011) and Tennessee (since 2015). The European Union banned possession, trade, transport, production, and release of Marmorkrebs (and several other crayfish species) in 2016.
North American researchers can contact Zen Faulkes to get Marmorkrebs for research. Establishment of the UTRGV Marmorkrebs colony was supported by the National Science Foundation (award 0813581).
Cover gallery
Research papers
For a more comprehensive list of research papers, click here.
Anastácio PM, Ribeiro F, Capinha C, Banha F, Gama M, Filipe AF, Rebelo R, Sousa R. 2019. Non-native freshwater fauna in Portugal: A review. Science of The Total Environment650: 1923-1934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.251
Fořt M, Hossain MS, Kouba A, Buřič M, Kozák P. 2019. Agonistic interactions and dominance establishment in three crayfish species non-native to Europe. Limnologica74: 73-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.limno.2018.11.003
Hossain MS, Kubec J, Kouba A, Kozák P, Buric M. 2019. Still waters run deep: marbled crayfish dominates over red swamp crayfish in agonistic interactions. Aquatic Ecology53(1): 97-107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-019-09675-7
Kubec J, Hossain MS, Grabicová K, Randák T, Kouba A, Grabic R, Roje S, Buric M. 2019. Oxazepam alters the behavior of crayfish at diluted concentrations, venlafaxine does not. Water11: 196. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11020196
Lidova J, Buric M, Kouba A, Velisek J. 2019. Acute toxicity of two pyrethroid insecticides for five non-indigenous crayfish species in Europe. Veterinarni Medicina64(03): 125–133. https://doi.org/10.17221/136/2018-VETMED
Stara A, Kubec J, Zuskova E, Buric M, Faggio C, Kouba A, Velisek J. 2019. Effects of S-metolachlor and its degradation product metolachlor OA on marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis). Chemosphere224: 616-625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.02.187
Shinji J, Gotoh H, Miyanishi H, Lavine MD, Lavine LC. 2019. The activin signaling transcription factor Smox is an essential regulator of appendage size during regeneration after autotomy in the crayfish. Evolution & Development21(1). 44-55. https://doi.org/10.1111/ede.12277
Takahashi K, Yamaguchi E, Fujiyama N, Nagayama T. The effects of quality of shelters and prior residence on Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish). Journal of Experimental Biology222(6): jeb197301. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.197301
Velisek J, Stara A, Zuskova E, Kubec J, Buric M, Kouba A. 2019. Effects of s-metolachlor on early life stages of marbled crayfish. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology153: 87-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2018.11.007
Missouri has added Marmorkrebs to its prohibited species list, effective 1 March 2011. Read more here. Tennessee designated Marmorkrebs as “Class V wildlife,” meaning they can only be kept by zoos, effective October 2015. Read more here and here.
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Lipták B, Veselý L, Ercoli F, Bláha M, Buric M, Ruokonen TJ, Kouba A. Trophic role of marbled crayfish in a lentic freshwater ecosystem. Aquatic Invasions 14: in press. 
