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Scoping Knowledge Requirements for Murray Crayfish (Euastacus Armatus)

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Scoping Knowledge Requirements for Murray Crayfish (Euastacus Armatus) Scoping the knowledge requirements for Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) D. Gilligan, R. Rolls, J. Merrick, M. Lintermans, P. Duncan and J. Kohen NSW Department of Primary Industries Aquatic Ecosystems Research Narrandera Fisheries Centre PO Box 182, Narrandera, NSW 2700 Australia MDBC Project No. 05/1066 April 2007 NSW Department of Primary Industries – Fisheries Final Report Series No. 89 ISSN 1449-9967 Scoping the knowledge requirements for Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) D. Gilligan1, R. Rolls1, 2, J. Merrick3, M. Lintermans4, 5, P. Duncan6, 7 and J. Kohen3 1 – NSW Department of Primary Industries, Narrandera Fisheries Centre, PO Box 182, Narrandera, NSW, 2700. Telephone: 02 6959 9021 Fax: 02 6959 2935. 2 – Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351 3 – Macquarie University, Division of Environmental and Life Sciences, North Ryde, NSW, 2109 4 – ACT Parks, Conservation and Lands, Department of Territory and Municipal Services, PO Box 158, Canberra, ACT, 2601 5 – Murray-Darling Basin Commission, GPO Box 409, Canberra, ACT, 2601 6 – NSW Department of Primary Industries, Aboriginal Liaison & Cultural Heritage Unit, 12 Shirley Road, Wollstonecraft, NSW, 2065 7 – NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, Executive Services, PO Box A290, Sydney South, NSW, 1232 MDBC Project No. 05/1066 April 2007 NSW Department of Primary Industries - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 89 ISSN 1449-9967 Scoping the knowledge requirements for Murray crayfish (Euastacus armatus) April 2007 Authors: D. Gilligan, R. Rolls, J. Merrick, M. Lintermans, P. Duncan and J. Kohen Published By: NSW Department of Primary Industries (now incorporating NSW Fisheries) Postal Address: Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre of Excellence, PO Box 21, NSW, 2230 Internet: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au © NSW Department of Primary Industries, Macquarie University, the ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission. This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this reproduction may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owners. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. DISCLAIMER The publishers do not warrant that the information in this report is free from errors or omissions. The publishers do not accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortuous or otherwise, for the contents of this report for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed on it. The information, opinions and advice contained in this report may not relate to, or be relevant to, a reader’s particular circumstance. ISSN 1449-9967 (Note: Prior to July 2004, this report series was published as the ‘NSW Fisheries Final Report Series’ with ISSN number 1440-3544) Contents i TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................................................I LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................................III LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................................V NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY ................................................................................................................VI 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................10 2. METHODS............................................................................................................................................ 11 2.1. Published literature............................................................................................................................ 11 2.2. Unpublished reports and datasets...................................................................................................... 11 2.3. Unpublished student theses ............................................................................................................... 14 3. BIOLOGY............................................................................................................................................. 16 3.1. Nomenclature .................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2. Identification ..................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.1. Type specimen ..................................................................................................................... 16 3.2.2. Diagnosis ............................................................................................................................ 16 3.2.3. General description............................................................................................................. 17 3.3. Relationships with other species ....................................................................................................... 18 3.4. Distribution ....................................................................................................................................... 20 3.4.1. Historical distribution......................................................................................................... 20 3.4.2. Current distribution ............................................................................................................ 22 3.5. Population genetics ........................................................................................................................... 24 3.6. Anatomy and sense perception.......................................................................................................... 25 3.7. Habitat............................................................................................................................................... 25 3.7.1. Meso-habitat and micro-habitat ......................................................................................... 25 3.7.2. Environmental tolerances ................................................................................................... 27 3.8. Diet.................................................................................................................................................... 27 3.9. Movement, migration and diel activity ............................................................................................. 28 3.10. Diseases and Parasites....................................................................................................................... 29 3.11. Population Biology............................................................................................................................ 29 3.11.1. Reproduction and recruitment ............................................................................................ 29 3.11.1.1. Mating season................................................................................................................... 29 3.11.1.2. Fecundity.......................................................................................................................... 29 3.11.1.3. Incubation and development ............................................................................................ 30 3.11.1.4. Recruitment...................................................................................................................... 34 3.11.2. Age and growth ................................................................................................................... 34 3.11.2.1. Moult frequency............................................................................................................... 34 3.11.2.2. Moult increment............................................................................................................... 35 3.11.2.3. Size at age ........................................................................................................................ 37 3.11.3. Length-weight relationships................................................................................................ 37 3.11.4. OCL – claw (propodus) length relationships...................................................................... 38 3.11.5. Maturity............................................................................................................................... 39 3.11.6. Mortality.............................................................................................................................. 41 3.11.7. Population structure............................................................................................................ 42 Murray crayfish review – Gilligan, Rolls, Merrick, Lintermans, Duncan & Kohen Project No.05/1066 ii Contents 3.11.7.1. Temporal patterns in population structure........................................................................ 42 3.11.7.2. Spatial patterns in population structure ............................................................................ 43 3.11.8. Sex ratios .............................................................................................................................51
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