Marin I.N.1*, Statkevich S.V.2 2025. The first discovery of the invasive marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax (Hagen, 1870) in Crimea // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.34. No.3: 359–364 [in English].
1 A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of RAS, Moscow, 119071 Russia.
2 A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, Sevastopol 299011 Russia.
* corresponding author
Ivan Marin: coralliodecapoda@mail.ru https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0552-8456
Svetlana Statkevich: statkevich03@ibss-ras.ru https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4108-459X
doi: 10.15298/arthsel.34.3.07
ABSTRACT. Data on the discovery of the invasive marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax (Hagen, 1870) (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in the western Crimea, in the lower streams of the Alma and Belbek rivers, is presented. This is the first report of its presence on the peninsula, adding another invasive species to the list in the Russian Federation. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that the crayfish found in Crimea share the same genetic haplotype as other invasive subpopulations from Europe, Sweden, Japan, and parts of Florida. The European subpopulation has a single haplotype, suggesting a relatively recent introduction, likely from a single parent within its native range in Florida. In the case of the lower reaches of the Alma and Belbek rivers, we propose a hypothesis based on the possible involvement of large migratory birds, such as hissing swans and ducks, and plants attached to their paws in the spread of juvenile crayfish to nearby water reservoirs.
KEY WORDS: invasion, Decapoda, Crustacea, crayfish, COI mtDNA, Crimean Peninsula.