White-clawed crayfish

Description:

According to the IUCN red list this species of crayfish is endangered (EN), due to pollution, diseases and introduction of allochthonous species. In Italy Louisiana crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in particular generates negative effects on Austropotamobius pallipes, mainly because of the introduction of diseases and the strong trophic competition. These specimens were caught and set free in Oulx Wetlands Nature Reserve, during the works for my bachelor degree thesis: I had a special catch permission released from the province of Turin; otherwise it's strictly forbidden to catch this crayfish. This Reserve belongs to Natura 2000 network, and it's one of the last places in Piedmont not colonized by Procambarus clarki yet. - Sexual dimorphism: males' first pair of pleopods is sclerified and transformed to a copulating apparatus, while females' first pair of pleopods is very rudimentary. - A. pallipes is a bio indicator for water good quality.

Habitat:

Austropotamobius pallipes is a cold-sthenotermic species and lives in particularly oxygenate ponds and streams.