Cherax quadricarinatus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	ARTHROPODA	CRUSTACEA	DECAPODA	PARASTACIDAE

Scientific Name:

Cherax quadricarinatus

Species Authority:

(von Martens, 1868)

Common Name/s:

English

–

Redclaw, Tropical Blue Crayfish

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2010

Assessor/s:

Austin, C.M., Jones, C. & Wingfield, M.

Reviewer/s:

Collen, B. & Richman, N.

Contributor/s:

Livingston, F., Livingston, F., Soulsby, A.-M., Batchelor, A., Dyer, E., Whitton, F., Milligan, H.T., Smith, J., Lutz, M.L., De Silva, R., McGuinness, S., Kasthala, G., Jopling, B., Sullivan, K. & Cryer, G.

Justification:
Cherax quadricarinatus has been assessed as Least Concern. There are no major threats impacting this species or its habitat, and it is unlikely to be experiencing significant population declines. This species is tolerant of a wide variety of habitats and is considered an invasive species in certain parts of Australia and in many other countries. Further research is required to determine the abundance of this species, and whether it is being impacted upon by any major threat processes.

History:

1996	–	Vulnerable (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1996	–	Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is native to freshwater creeks and water bodies in tropical Queensland, the Northern Territory and south-eastern Papua New Guinea. It has been widely translocated around the world, and is considered an invasive species. This species has established feral populations in South Africa, Mexico, Jamaica and Puerto Rico (Ahyong and Yeo 2007). This species has a distribution exceeding 3.5 million km².
Countries:	Native: Australia (New South Wales - Introduced, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia - Introduced, Victoria - Introduced, Western Australia - Introduced); Papua New Guinea (Papua New Guinea (main island group)) Introduced: Jamaica; Mexico; Puerto Rico; South Africa
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	There is insufficient population data available for this species.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This is a non-burrowing species that is tolerant of a wide variety of habitats. This species can be found in coastal streams and freshwater environments, with a preference for the slower moving upper reaches of rivers as well as lakes and lagoons (Wingfield 2002). The distribution of this species is restricted to tropical and subtropical climates as the species cannot survive prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 10^oC (Semple et al. 1995). The hardiness and conspicuous colouration of this species has also made it popular in the aquarium trade worldwide (Ahyong and Yeo 2007). This is a species with considerable potential for commercial culture. High growth rates and tolerance to wide variations in water quality make the species suitable for cultivation (Anson and Rouse 1994). In areas where this species has been introduced, it may impact native fauna through direct competition, predation or habitat modification, or spreading previously unknown parasites into native populations (Ahyong and Yeo 2007). This species has been reported to be a carrier of a number of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoan and metazoan parasites (Edgerton 1999, Edgerton et al. 2000, Hauck et al. 2001, Bowater et al. 2002, Romero and Jimenez 2002). This species has life history traits which are typical of an invasive species; that is ,this species is r-selected.
Systems:	Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

This is a non-burrowing species that is tolerant of a wide variety of habitats. This species can be found in coastal streams and freshwater environments, with a preference for the slower moving upper reaches of rivers as well as lakes and lagoons (Wingfield 2002). The distribution of this species is restricted to tropical and subtropical climates as the species cannot survive prolonged exposure to water temperatures below 10^oC (Semple et al. 1995). The hardiness and conspicuous colouration of this species has also made it popular in the aquarium trade worldwide (Ahyong and Yeo 2007).

This is a species with considerable potential for commercial culture. High growth rates and tolerance to wide variations in water quality make the species suitable for cultivation (Anson and Rouse 1994). In areas where this species has been introduced, it may impact native fauna through direct competition, predation or habitat modification, or spreading previously unknown parasites into native populations (Ahyong and Yeo 2007).

This species has been reported to be a carrier of a number of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoan and metazoan parasites (Edgerton 1999, Edgerton et al. 2000, Hauck et al. 2001, Bowater et al. 2002, Romero and Jimenez 2002). This species has life history traits which are typical of an invasive species; that is ,this species is r-selected.

Systems:

Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	There are no known major threats impacting this species.

Major Threat(s):

There are no known major threats impacting this species.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	There are no species-specific conservation measures in place for this species. Further research is required to determine the abundance of this species, and whether it is being impacted upon by any major threat processes.

Conservation Actions:

There are no species-specific conservation measures in place for this species. Further research is required to determine the abundance of this species, and whether it is being impacted upon by any major threat processes.

Citation:	Austin, C.M., Jones, C. & Wingfield, M. 2010. Cherax quadricarinatus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 25 May 2013.
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