Free Essay

Crayfish

In:

Submitted By Raschad12
Words 768
Pages 4
The Introduced Red Claw Crayfish in Jamaica

The red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, has been a popular choice for aquaculture since the late 1980s. Brood stock of this Australian native was introduced in 1993 to farms in Jamaica. The first known established specimen living in the wild was collected from the Black River in 1999.

Plate 1. Cherax quadricarinatus

Characteristics of Cherax quadricarinatus The species grows to about 100 mm in carapace length. The carapace is usually green-brown with paler spots and mottles; claws tend to be a deeper green colour (Jones and Morgan, 1994).

A prominent feature of this species is the red claw, which gives the species its common name. The soft red patch on the outer margins of the fixed finger of the claw is only seen in males, and becomes increasingly prominent through successive moults. Females have slimmer bluegreen claws that never show any red colouration (eFishbusiness Online).

Plate 2. Male red claw crayfish

Jones (1990) reported that aside from the red colouration and larger size of the cheliped or claw of the mature male, sexual differences in C. quadricarinatus are reasonably subtle. The only characteristic that can be used to distinguish between the sexes in juveniles is the position of the genital opening: at the base of the 3rd and 5th pereiopods (walking legs) in females and males respectively (Shao et al., 1996).

Distribution

Cherax quadricarinatus is native to the southern hemisphere: throughout the streams and rivers of northern Australia (Jones and Morgan, 1994).

In Jamaica, they have become established in two of the largest river systems in Jamaica: Black River in the parish of St. Elizabeth, and Rio Cobre in St. Catherine.

Behaviour Red claws are very hardy and can tolerate a wide range of conditions, including low water quality in moderately polluted rivers. They are capable of dispersing further than native shrimp, and have been reported to actively move during times of drought to locate permanent bodies of water in their native ecosystem (Wingfield, 2000). This may have applications to its capacity disperse to other rivers in Jamaica.

Impacts Several crayfish species have been introduced beyond their natural ranges worldwide, either accidentally or intentionally for aquaculture. Typically, these animals had adverse effects on the existing crayfish fauna, including the elimination of native species (Vorburger & Ribi, 1999). No crayfish are native to Jamaican rivers and streams; however there are 14 indigenous freshwater shrimp species (Hunte, 1978). Of this number, nine occur in the Black River and Rio Cobre systems collectively. The impact of the crayfish on the native crustacean fauna is being investigated.

Preliminary results indicate, contrary to reports that C. quadricarinatus does not dig burrows in Australia (Wingfield, 2000), that individuals in Jamaican rivers are generally found occupying burrows which they construct in the banks of the rivers.

Plate 3. Crayfish burrows in river bank – Black River

Red claws now contribute to the livelihoods of many fishermen and vendors in St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine and Kingston; the crayfish are purchased alongside native shrimp in large numbers in St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine and Kingston. The quantity in which this crayfish is caught and sold is an indication of its local abundance.

References

eFishBusiness

- Forms and Guidelines (acquired September 30, 2002).

http://www.efishbusiness.co.uk/formsandguides/part01.asp

Hunte, W., 1978. The distribution of freshwater shrimps (Atyidae and Palaemonidae) in Jamaica. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 64: 135-150.

Jones, C., 1990. General biology of Cherax quadricarinatus. - In: Shelley, C.C. & M.C.Pearce eds., Proceedings of the seminar Farming the red-claw freshwater crayfish. Pp.1-6.

Vorburger, C. & G. Ribi, 1999. Aggression and competition for shelter between a native and an introduced crayfish in Europe. Freshwater Biology 42: 111-119.

Williams Jr., E.W., Bunkley-Williams, L., Lilyestrom, C.G. & E.A. Ortiz-Corps, 2001. A review of recent introductions of aquatic invertebrates in Puerto Rico and implications for the management of nonindigenous species. Caribbean Journal of Science 37 (3-4): 246-251.

Wingfield, M.J., 2000. An overview of production techniques practiced in the Australian crayfish farming industry (acquired December 7, 2002). http://www.natfish.tafensw.edu.au/industryinfo/ProductionTechniques.htm Jones, D.S. & G.J. Morgan, 1994. A field guide to crustaceans of Australian waters. Reed/ Western Australian Museum. 216 pp.

Shao, L., Wang, X. & J. Zhu, 1996. Preliminary study on the morphological features and behaviors of Cherax quadricarinatus. J. Zhejiang Coll. Fish., 15 (3): 201-205.

Contact information: Sacha-Renee Todd CHM Information Officer

Institute of Jamaica. chm.nhd@cwjamaica.com

Postgraduate Student Life Sciences Department, University of the West Indies Mona. todd1jm@hotmail.com

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Analysis

...investigated the different of behaviors shown by two crayfish of the same gender, but of different sizes. The objective of this experiment were to apply the scientific method to the agnostic behavior of the crayfish, carefully handle the crayfish and let them acclimate to the environment, and discussed the differences in territorial behavior examined by the animals based on size. The null hypothesis was there will be no difference in the number of seconds crayfish are engaged in agnostic interaction between larger or smaller crayfish. The alternative hypothesis was there will be a difference in the number of seconds crayfish are engaged in interaction between larger or smaller. Predictions made before the experiment indicated there would be more behaviors of meral spread, and retreating observed by the smaller crayfish and more wrestling and clawing by the larger crayfish. Background Red swamp crayfish was found in the year of 1974 Red swamp crayfish are native to south central United States. (Chapman,S, 1998)The Red Swamp Crayfish will eat all types of things, including fish eggs and hatchlings, which can pose a problem. In addition to this, these crayfish tend to dig into the banks deeper than the native European crayfish and this causes erosion. (Chapman,S, 1998). They are an average size but seem too aggressive. Crayfish may engage in agonistic behaviors when they are, in the presence of another crayfish. (Chapman,S, 1998). Crayfish have 5 pairs of walking legs, the first of which...

Words: 331 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Lbxport

...LobXprt Where consider the quality Prepared For : Name Designation : Mr.Md. Shahinur Sobhan : Lecturer Department of Business Administration Name of the institute : Dhaka City College. Prepared By : Sl. No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Name ID Ismat Jahan Senjuti Md. Asim Shadab SK. Rajibul Hasan Mahamuda Akter Asaduzzaman Md.Hasan Imam 135 165 125 149 145 159 Section: B Batch: 7th Session: 2004-2005 Group: 7 B.B.A. Dhaka City College 2|Page Letter of Transmittal August 20, 2009 Mr.Md. Shahinur Sobhan Department of Business Administration Dhaka City College Bangladesh Subject: Submission of Feasibility study of LobXprt. Dear Sir, We have the honor to state that My Project report is submitted to you for your kind supervision. Under shade of Feasibility Study we have collected data from various sources which were unknown to us in past but now we can realize the importance of a Project feasibility study and its implication in the present and future growth of one’s career. We would like to draw your attention that we are worked with our utmost sincerity to prepare this report. We, therefore, request you to kindly grant the feasibility study of “LobXprt”. Thanking you in anticipation. Sincerely yours Name Ismat Jahan Senjuti Md. Asim Shadab SK. Rajibul Hasan Mahamuda Akter Asaduzzaman Md.Hasan Imam ID 135 165 125 149 145 159 BBA, 7th Batch Section: B Dhaka City College. 3|Page Acknowledgement We are expressing gratitude to Almighty, the Merciful and the Benevolent Allah for...

Words: 15565 - Pages: 63

Premium Essay

Acclimated Crayfish Experiment

...Effect of Acclimation Temperature on Oxygen Consumption in the Crayfish, Orconectes propinquus Results (And Reporting Statistics) The oxygen consumption rates were not significant between the warm acclimated crayfish and the cold acclimated crayfish . (Unpaired, two tailed t-test; t52=2.007, P=0.553; Figure 1). The Q10 value calculated in experiment was 1.044. Figure 1: The affect of varying temperatures on Metabolism via oxygen consumption rates on warm and cold acclimated Orconectes propinquus. Mean is ± SE, n (warm)= 34, n (cold) = 32. The warm acclimated crayfish were at a temperature of around 21°C and the cold acclimated crayfish were at a temperature of around 5°C. Discussion The 14 day acclimated crayfish, Orconectes propinquus, showed no difference in the...

Words: 979 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Crayfish Lab Report

...Crayfish have traditionally served as model organisms for studying the physiology and development of decapod crustaceans as well as a wide variety of other animals (Vogt 2008). The relatively easy access to the heart as well as the ability of the organism to remain alive for about 30 minutes after being dissected makes it a viable candidate for studying the circulatory system in a living organism. Decapods, such as crayfish, have an open circulatory system, which differs from vertebrate closed systems in the method of dispersing the nutrient-carrying fluid. The hemolymph in open systems is pumped directly into the body cavity, whereas the blood in closed systems is circulated within vessels and the blood never leaves the confinement of the...

Words: 593 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Crayfish Nervous System Lab Report

...The nervous system of a crayfish contains a ventral nerve cord. This nerve cord transmits signals to the ganglion cells. The ganglion cells are in the tail of the crayfish in which it controls the muscles of the tail as well. The anatomy of the crayfish is simple yet all of its functions are important to their day-to-day lives. They are mainly composed of extensor muscles, gonads, hearts, encephalon, stomach, eyes, green gland, mouth, mandible, esophagus, maxilliped, ventral nerve cord, and ganglion of the ventral nerve cord, a digestive gland, flexor muscles and an anus. One can determine the sex based on their pleopod or gonopod. The crayfish ventral nerve cord is said to be similar to our spinal cord. Their VNC (ventral nerve cord) are linked to...

Words: 1628 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Cray Fish Research Paper

...RUSTY CRAYFISH The rusty crayfish or the Orconectes rusticus, is a sea animal found in the United States and Ontario, Canada. It has a rusty reddish brown color with dots on it’s upper shell. It eats small plants and animals found in the sea.This crayfish is particularly small with a length of only 10.2 centimeters. Rusty Crayfish habitat The rusty crayfish (or the orconectes rusticus) can be seen in the Great lakes region , most of the Midwest U.S and Ontario, Canada. . The crayfish mostly populate lakes, ponds, and streams. if the water has logs or other debris to cover it, the crayfish will thrive.They also will reside in still waters or fast streams. Body structure This little crayfish has a distinct colour to it, dark brown...

Words: 291 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Lab Report 10

...and be sure to include proper units where necessary. Any secondary resources need to be cited. One printed report is to be submitted at the START of your next laboratory period as well as a digital pdf version uploaded to Canvas. GROUP QUESTIONS 1. List the functions of the following external structures: (3 pts.) (a.) Chelapeds: large walking appendages of a crayfish; appendages allow the crayfish to grasp and tear food, and also defend itself (b.) Walking legs: the 4 pairs of appendages used to locomote in the crayfish, they are equipped with gills which allows for gas exchange (taking in oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide) (c:.) Maxillapeds: an appendage modified for feeding: holding food, touching and tasting (d.) Cephalothorax: the first segment of a crayfish, consisting of a head fused to the thorax (e.) Genital pore: location of where sperm or eggs are released (f.) Nephridiopore: Part of the excretory system for removing nitrogenous waste. (g.) Abdomen: the multi-segmented posterior region of the crayfish used to swim backwards (h.) Uropod/telson: - small flippers (2) on the end of the abdomen of a crayfish that is used for swimming (i.) Carapace/exoskeleton: Acts as a skeleton and a shield which projects backwards from the head and covers the thorax. The carapace has two functions; firstly it protects the delicate feather-like gills which branch off from the base of the legs, and secondly it...

Words: 2434 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Are Claw and Antenna Lengths Characteristics of Sexual Selection in Orconectues Rusticus?

...Are Claw and Antenna lengths characteristics of Sexual Selection in Orconectues rusticus? INTRODUCTION The Orconectes rusticus, otherwise known as the Rusty Crayfish, originated from a native range in the Ohio River and other tributaries, centuries ago. It’s introduction to other habitats is largely attributable to it’s use as fishing bait, moving the species from New Mexico to Maine in the United States and as far north as the Province of Ontario and Manitoba. Rusty crayfish in Ontario were first noted in 1963 in the Lake of the Woods, and have since then have been found in Kawartha Lakes Region, Lake Superior watershed, expanding down the Winnipeg River, into Manitoba. As a study of Trent University, these Rusty Crayfish are easy accessible due to the fact that the Otonabee River, a rich habitat for this species, runs right through campus. This species have specific morphological features. Typically, adult O. rusticus reaches a maximum of 11 cm. Males have some different characteristics than females but most appear to have dark “rusty” spots that are apparent on the side of their bodies. (CITATION) These characteristics may differ due to many reasons, one in which may be because the Darwinian theory of sexual selection. This implies that since the female of a species invests so much time in each of her offspring it would be an advantage to choose a particular mate with, making sure that her offspring becomes as fit as possible. On the other hand, a male species invests...

Words: 1288 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Nt1310 Unit 1 Lab Report

...one end on each of the wires to expose the copper end, one wire was burned an inch and half the other an inch. Crayfish was selected from the box and the claws were taped off and placed it into the pan. Using the needle provided two small holes were made through the cephalothorax. One hole will be on the upper cephalothorax where the copper wire with one inch burned is placed. The other hole is on the lower cephalothorax, where the burnt wire is inserted. To hold these wires in place, a drop of superglue was placed around the hole where the wire was inserted. The crayfish was then placed inside the Tupperware container and add 100 ml of freshwater crustacean saline. Wire ends that aren’t attached to the crayfish are attached to input posts located on the impendence converter....

Words: 407 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Yyy Yyy

...LIST OF NIGERIAN SOUPS 1) AFANG SOUP 2) MIYAN TAUSE 3) OFE ONUGBU 4) IYUE MBUEL 5) ATAMA 6) OBE EFO ELEGUSI 7) OFE ACHARA 8) IKPAHIDO 9) MIYAN ZOGALE 10) OHO IGLIGI 11) EDIKANG IKONG 12) ERIMONU 13) ODU FULO 14) OFE UJUJU 15) PLASAS 16) MIYAN RIDI 17) ABAK MBAKARA 18) OFE OWERRI 19) AFIA EFERE 20) OHO OKOHO 21) EDITAN SOUP 22) IHEWEWE SOUP 23) OWO SOUP 24) OFE DI NA-WAYI 25) OBE ISHAPA 26) MIYAN SHUAKA 27) MIYAN TAPASA 28) OGBONO SOUP 29) UZIZA AND UTAZI SOUP 30) MIYAN WAKE 31) OTONG 32) EFERE USUNG UDIA 33) OBE ILASA WITH OBE ATA 34) OBE EGBULU 35) IWUK EFERE 36) OFE AKPARANTA 37) SOYA BEAN AND GROUNDNUT SOUP 38) SHIMBE LEAVES 39) OFE OTURUPA 40) SPECIAL EFO RIRO 41) GOAT MEAT PEPPER SOUP 42) MIYAN YAKWA 43) BOKONISA 44) SEAFOOD SOUP 45) MIYAN KARKASHI 46) EFERE IBABA 47) COTTON SEED SOUP 48) GBEGIRI 49) EBATU 50) BAMTA SOUP 51) OFE MPOTO OFE UGBA WITH POUNDED YAM This soup is quite popular with people from Imo State. Ugba is the Ibo word for cooked sliced oil bean seed. It is used in many food preparations. The Efik/Ibibio also use this particular ingredient in food preparation and its called “Ukana”. INGREDIENTS QUANTITES Beef ½ kg Smoked fish 1 medium size Stockfish (cooked) 4 medium size Ugu leaves 1 small bunch ...

Words: 18910 - Pages: 76

Free Essay

African Foods

...mainly as stew for the White Rice recipe. How to Cook Banga Soup/Stew [Video] The palm fruit oil extract used in cooking Banga Soup / Stew is quite different from the Palm Oil used in cooking Nigerian food recipes. Palm Oil is pure oil extracted from the palm fruit pulp at high temperatures while the palm fruit oil extract used for the Banga Soup is extracted at a very low temperature and is a mixture of oil and water. Palm fruit oil extracted for Banga Soup contains less saturated fat than palm oils. Ingredients for Banga Soup 1 kg Palm Fruits or 800g tinned Palm Fruit Concentrate Beef Dry Fish Vegetable: Scent Leaves for Ofe Akwu or dried and crushed bitterleaves for Delta-style Banga Soup 2 medium onions A handful crayfish or 2 tablespoons of ground Crayfish Salt and Chilli Pepper (to taste) Ogiri Okpei (Iru) 1-2 big stock cubes Before you cook the Nigerian Banga Soup Extract the palm fruit concentrate from the palm fruits. If using the tinned palm fruit concentrate, open the tin and set aside. Cook the beef and the dry fish with 1 bulb of diced onion and the stock cubes till done. Wash and cut the scent leaves into tiny pieces. The scent leaves give the Banga Stew (Ofe Akwu) its unique aroma and taste. If you are outside Nigeria, this may be hard to find, so you can use pumpkin leaves or any other vegetable in place of scent leaves. If cooking Delta-style Banga Soup for starch, you should either cook this soup without vegetables or use dried and...

Words: 574 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Asdas

...BEA111 Principles of Economics 1 Question 1 Brooke, Grant and Melanie are three friends deciding how they will celebrate the New Year TOGETHER. Brooke prefers to go on a cruise, is happy to go to Fiji, but does not want to go to Brisbane. Grant prefers to go to Brisbane, is happy to go to Fiji, but does not want to go on a cruise. Melanie prefers to go to Fiji or to take a cruise but does not want to go Brisbane. a) If all three are rational, how will they celebrate the New Year? Explain. b) Identify each person’s opportunity cost of their final decision.   | Happy to go on a cruise? | Happy to go to Brisbane? | Happy to go to Fiji? | Brooke | Extremely | No | Yes | Grant | No | Extremely | Yes | Melanie | Yes | No | Extremely | Rational choice | No | No | Yes | The ultimate goal of all three friends including Brooke, Grant and Melanie is to celebrate the New Year together. Therefore, the premise of the rational choice is that they must celeberate the New Year together. Therefore, finding a way that could mostly satisfy the common interests or preferences of all these three friends can be considered as a rational choice. The current situation can be placed in a chart above, and it can be seen that while Grant does not wish to take a cruise as the method of transport, Brooke and Melanie are happy to go on a cruise, especially for Brooke. However, Brooke and Melanie have not specifically mentioned that they are unwilling to go on a cruise. To satisfy the...

Words: 1043 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Epa Issues

...Name: Yolanda Sanchez Lab Activity 11 – Aquatic Biodiversity (Macroinvertebrates) NSCI 102 In this activity, you will learn about how samples of macroinvertebrates found on stream bottoms can be analyzed to determine water quality. Macroinvertebrates are organisms with no backbone that are visible without using a microscope. Crayfish, aquatic snails, and the larvae of aquatic insects are examples of stream-bottom macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates are an important link in the aquatic food chain. They feed upon algae and leaves that fall into the stream and are eaten by larger consumers, such as fish. Macroinvertebrates are useful for studying water quality because some of them cannot survive in polluted waters, while others thrive. Since stream-bottom macroinvertebrates do not generally move very far within a stream, they are excellent indicators of long-term pollution trends. Levels of pollution may vary over time, so a one-time chemical analysis of the water may not provide an accurate picture. However, if pollutants are common in a stream, the macroinvertebrates found there will primarily be the ones that are tolerant of poor water quality. In addition, macroinvertebrates are relatively easy to collect, so analyzing this community can be used to get an initial indication of water quality to see if additional chemical tests are necessary. Materials needed for this lab: - Handouts: Stream Sample A, Stream Sample B, Macroinvertebrate Key ...

Words: 911 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Chapter 12 Test

...The normal evolution a fly fisher goes through usually includes fly tying sometime after the first year or two. Some take up fly tying to cut the costs of all the flies they seem to leave in bushes and trees everywhere they go. Others want to try it to increase their involvement in the finer details of the sport. No matter what your reasons are, tying flies seems to be an integrated part of the whole fly fishing picture. There have been perhaps more volumes of books and articles written on the art of fly tying than any other aspect of fly fishing. If you subscribe to any of the fly fishing magazines, you have encountered articles that included fly patterns. In fact, a few magazines are dedicated to the art of fly tying. Those magazines will enhance the information you find here and I encourage you to consider subscribing to one or two. Now, What Do I Name It? Like I said earlier, there are a lot of books about fly tying on the market. I won't try to duplicate those efforts, but rather attempt to show you some of the basics. I won't try to show you specific patterns, but you'll learn a few in the course of this instruction. I will try to help you solve some of the most basic but troubling problems new fly tyers usually encounter. As with any form of art, there are usually several ways to do the same thing that will produce the same outcome. In some cases, I'll try to show all the ways; in others, I'll attempt only the ones I've found to be the fastest and easiest to master...

Words: 677 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

The Woods

...including me, would frequently make the trek to the woods to quench our thirst for adventure. No matter our agenda for the day, the woods would always accommodate. We would start our journey by walking across a perpetually soggy horse pasture, dodging land mines left by the horses. The smells of fresh cut hay and horse manure followed in our wake. Our first stop in the woods was always the stream that ran the entire length. With a running start, a young boy could almost jump the width of the stream, landing a few feet short on the opposite bank. We would descend the bank and hop from rock to rock, trying to keep our tennis shoes dry. When that failed, we trod down the center of the stream, lifting up flat rocks to uncover unsuspecting crayfish. We did not know that people actually ate these peculiar looking creatures. In the winter, we would compete to see who could stand on the ice of the frozen stream the longest. The stream would always win, as the ice gave way with a resounding crack. We walked home with heavy feet, dragging rock-hard pant legs frozen up to the knees. Older kids rode their motorcycles in the woods and adjacent field, as the high-pitched engine whine and smells of two cycle oil mixed with gasoline filled the air. Eventually, my neighborhood trio had motorcycles of our own, and our spinning tires would cut trails through the shaded damp sod in the woods. A man would appear from his nearby garage, staring at us as we rode. He worked on large trucks, and...

Words: 432 - Pages: 2