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  3. Procambarus clarkii

Procambarus clarkii

Basic information
Scientific name Procambarus clarkii

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アメリカザリガニ
Common names red swamp crayfish, red swamp crawfish
Higher taxon Cambaridae, Decapoda, Malacostraca, Arthropoda
Natural range Marshy area of lower Mississippi River, Southern USA.
Habitat Swamp, rice field, etc.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Entire Japan Range in Japan
Origin New Orleans, USA
Date 1927
Route Deliberate: As food for bullfrog aquaculture. Many crayfishes are used as pet animals.
Impact Predation and competition against native benthic animals and aquatic plants. Vector of parasitic fungus, the pathogene of crayfish plague.
Native organism(s) affected: Freshwater benthic animals, aquatic plants, small fishes, native crayfish, etc.
Regulation in Japan Introduction to Shiga, Nagano and Nagasaki Prefs. are prohibited. It was designated as a "Designated IAS with conditions" a category newly established in the revised Invasive Alien Species Act, which went into effect in 2023, that excludes for the time being certain applications of some regulations.
Introduced range in other countries Mexico, Dominica, France, Spain, etc. Introduction within USA also occured.
Reference Notes
  • Biodiversity occurrence data provided via GBIF Data Portal, data.gbif.org, (Accessed on 2010-05-26)
  • DECO (ed) (2006) Dictionary of Alien Species. Tokyo-Shoseki. (in Jpn)
  • Ecol Soc Japan (ed) (2002) Handbook of Alien Species in Japan. Chijin-Shokan. (in Jpn)
  • Nakai et al. (eds) (2003) Alien Species: Their Biology, Impact and Control. Lake Biwa Museum. (in Jpn)
  • JWRC (ed) (2008) A Photographic Guide to the Invasive Alien Species in Japan. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)
  • etc.
 100 of the Japan’s Worst Invasive Alien Species.