BULLETIN DE L'lNSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUE, BIOLOGIE, 72: 119-129,2002 BULLETIN VAN HET KONINKLIJK BELGISCH INSTITUUT VOOR NATUURWE1ENSCHAPPEN, BIOLOGIE, 72: 119-129, 2002 On the distribution of alien non-manne and estuarine macro-crustaceans m Belgium by Karel WOUTERS Abstract gists (personal communications). The present paper was pro­ posed as a poster during the Symposium "Status and trends The distributions of fifteen species of macroscopic crustaceans liv­ of the Belgian fauna with particular emphasis on exotic spe­ ing in non-marine and estuarine environments in Belgium are dis­ cies", held in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, cussed. The species in question are: the conchostracan Leptestheria Brussels, on 14 December 2001 (WOUTERS, 2002), dahalacensis, the amphipods Gammarus tigrinus, Echino­ gammarus berilloni, Dikerogammarus villosus, Corophium curvispinum, Crangonyx pseudogracilis and Orchestia cavimana, Species accounts the atyid shrimp Atyaephyra desmaresti, the crayfish Astacus leptodactylus, Pacifastacus feniusculus and Orconectes fimosus and the crabs Caflinectes sapidus, Eriocheir sinensis and SUB PHYLUM Crustacea PENNANT, 1777 Rhithropanopeus harrisii. CLASS Branchiopoda LATREILLE, 1817 ORDER Conchostraca SARS, 1867 Key-words: alien species, Belgium, cartography, faunistics, Crus­ FAMILY Leplcslheriidae DADAY, 1923 tacea. Resume Leptestheria dahalacensis (RDPPEL, 1837) (Fig. 1) Les distributions de quinze espfxes de macro-crustaces exotiques vivant dans des milieus non-marins et estuariens en Belgique sont The species was collected on 26 October and 8 November discutees. Les cpCccs en question sont: le conch os trace Leptestheria 1988 (BRENDONCK et al., 1989) in a fishpond in Heverlee dahalacensis, les amphipodcs Gammarus tigrinus, Echino­ (Park Abbey). This Belgian locality should not be considered gammarus berilloni, Dikeroganunarus vi!losus, Corophiwn a natural range extension, because L. dahalacensis was most curvispinum, Crangonyx pseudogracilis et Orchestia cavimana, la likely introduced in the fishpond when carp, originating from crevette d'eau douce Atyaephyra desmaresti, les ecrevisses Astacus a place near Lake Balaton (Hungary) was brought !here. leptodactylus, Pacifastacus leniusculus et Orconectes limosus, et Since then, however, the species adapted to this artificial en- les crabcs Callinectes sapidus, Eriocheir sinensis et Rhithropanopeus hanisii. Mots-ch~s: cspCccs exotiqucs, Belgique, cartographic, faunistique, Crustacea. Introduction There is growing concern about the introduction of alien (neozoan) species, because of their presumed impact on eco­ logically equivalent native species and on other species, or because of the possible change in ecosystem structure and process. Many alien species, belonging to different zoologi­ cal groups, have already been observed in Belgian inland waters. This paper aims at inventorying the non-marine and Leptestheria daha/acensis estuarine alien macrocopic crustaceans, which up to now (ROPPEL, 1837) have been observed in Belgium. The results are based on published distributional data, on specimens preserved in the collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (KBIN-IRSNB), and on observations by colleague zoolo- Fig. 1 120 KAREL WOUTERS vironment and established a viable population (BRENDONCK et al., 1989). On 28 and 29 October and on 3 and 7 November 2001 the pond was resamp1cd, and although this was in the same period of the year as the first record, neither living specimens, nor valves, nor resting eggs were found (K. MOREAU & L. BRENDONCK pers. comm.). It is therefore very likely that the species is no longer present in the pond. CLASS Ma]acostraca LATREILLE, 1803 SUCLASS Eumalacostraca GROBBEN, 1892 SUPERORDER Peracarida CALMAN, 1904 ORDER Mysidacea BOAS, 1883 FAMILY Mysidac DANA, 1850 Gammarus tigffnus SEXTON, 1939 Hemimysis anomala (SARS, 1907) (Fig. 2) Fig. 3 This species was collected for the first time in Belgium on 12 October 1999, in the Galgeweel, a brackish water pond on Gammarus tigrinus SEXTON, 1939 the left bank of the River Schelde, near the harbour of Ant­ (Fig. 3) werp (VERSLYCKE et al., 2000). In 2000 it was collected up­ stream Namur (Heer and Lustin) and between Namur and G. tigrinus was coilected for the first time in Belgium in Liege (Gives), and in 2001 in Lanaye, in the gravel pit of the April 1996, in the "Grote Put" in Antwerpen-Ekeren old Meuse (V ANDEN BOSSCHE, 2002). It is a Ponto-Caspian (VERCAUTEREN et al., 1999). In 1997 and 1998 the species was found in two other localities, namely the Bloso spotis centre "Nctepark" in Herentals, and in a ditch in Bornem Hingene (VERCAUTEREN & WOUTERS, 1999). Although G. tigrinus is a North American species, it is reasonable to as­ sume that is was imported in Belgium by human activities (probably fish stocking), from the Netherlands, where it has become a very common species since its introduction (P!NKSTER et al., 1992). Echinogammarus berilloni CATTA, 1878 (Fig.4) There are only very few published records available of the Hemimysis anomala distribution of this southern European species in Belgium, (SARS, 1907} Fig. 2 invader which had previously already been discovered in Germany, in the rivers Rhine and Neckar (SCHLUETER et al., 1998) and in the Netherlands, in the Noorder IJ-plas, near Amsterdam (FAASSE, 1998). As VERSLYCKE et al. (2001) point out, the species may be more widely distributed, but the hidden life-style makes it difficult to assess its geographic distribution. 0RDERAmphipoda LATREILLE, 1816 Echinogammarus berillonl FAMILY Gammaridae LEACH, 1813 CAnA, 1878 Fig.4 On the distribution of alien non-marine and estuarine macro-crustaceans in Belgium 121 namely: Ohain in the river Smohain in 1943-1946 (MARLIER, 1951), in a pond in Lombise in 1955 (LELOUP & VAN MEEL, 1958), Jambes, in the Meuse in 1983 (WOUTERS, 1985) and in the river Meuse in Agirnont, HastiCre, Waulsort, Anseremme, Dinant, Houx, Riviere, Lustin, Bas-Oha, Arnay, during the period 1980-1984 (MEURISSE-GENIN et al., 1987). The collections of the KBJN-JRSNB contain a large number of specimens from different localities, and therefore are an important source of information on the distribution of E. berilloni. Neerijse, Langerode, 19 June 1925, first record for Belgium Vossem, riverVoer, 1930, 1931 Dikerogammarus viflosus Rernoucharnps, in the cave, 1931 (SOWINSKY, 1874) Ternat, without further indication, 1932 Berneau, river Berwinne, 1932 Malonne, river Sambre, 1932 Fig. 5 Dave, river Me use, 1933 Namur, Saint Servais, river Houyoux, 1933 Between Cerfontaine and Falernprise, in the Eau France in 1999 and 2000, not far from the Belgian border d'Heure, I 934 (DEVIN et al., 2001). Comblain-au-Pont, river Ourthe, 1935 Hassclt, river Demer, 1937 FAMILY Corophiidae DANA, 1813 Hasselt, rivulet in connetion with river Demer, 1937 Between Comblain-la-Tour and Comblain-au-Pont, river Ourthc, 1937 Corophium curvispinum SARS, 1895 Berendrecht, in the Dorpsbeek, 1939 (Fig. 6) HastiCre, river Me use, 1941 Heverlee, river Dijle, 1942 The first (but not the oldest) record of the species was pub­ Le Cala, river Bousval, 1942 lished by WOUTERS (1985), who found the species in 1983 in La Hulpe, river Argentine, 1943 the river Meuse in Jambes. In later papers, D'UDEKEM Waulsort, river Meuse, 1943 D' Acoz & STROOT (1988) report the presence of this species HastiCre, river Meuse, 1943 in the river Meusc in Huy, in 1981 (oldest record), and Between HastiCre and Hcrrncton, river Meuse, 1943 MEURISSE-GENIN et al. (1987) from Lustin, Bas-Oha and Between Waulsort and HastiCre, river Meuse, 1943 Arnay. V ANDEN BOSSCHE et al. (2002) collected the species HastiCre, river Meuse, 1945 in 2000 in four more localities in the river Me use between the Henneton, river Me use, 1945 French border and LiCge, and in 2001 in Lanaye, in the two Leuven, river Dijle, 1945 blind anns facing the Dutch border. C. curvispinum is a tube­ Leuven, Leibeek, 1945 building species, originating from the Ponto-Caspian area. Destelheide, rivulet, near the mill, 1945 Petite Spienne, river Trouille, 1945 Wirnmertingcn, in the Mombeek, 1945 Everbeek, near Geraardsbergen, Terkleppebeek, 1982 Dikerogammarus villosus (SOWINSKY, 1874). (Fig. 5) In a recent paper on the first record of Hypania invalida (GRUBE, 1860), a pontocaspian polychaetc, in the River Me use, V AN DEN BosscHE et al. (200 1) also mention the presence of Dikerogammarus villosus, in 1998, in four sta­ tions in the river Meuse (Heer, Lustin Gives, Chokicr). In a second paper V ANDEN BOSSCHE (2002) emphasizes that Corophium curvispinum since the first record in 1998, D. villosus represents now 100 SARS, 1895 % of the population of Gammaridae and Crangonyctidae in the river Meuse between Namur and Liege, and that the spe­ cies is spreading rapidly. In 2000 it was already found up­ Fig. 6 stream Namur. D. villosus was also collected in Northern 122 KAREL WOUTERS Since the beginning of the 20th centmy, it has been extending its range in western direction. It is a highly successful in­ vader. It is a very common species now in the rivers Rhine (DEN HARTOG et al., 1992, VAN DER VELDE et al., 2000), Moselle (BACHMANN et al., 2001) and Meuse (D'UDEKEM D'Acoz & STROOT, 1988), at least between the French bor· der and Liege. Whether the species occurs also in the more northern (Belgian) part of the Meuse, and in the canals that arc in direct connection with the river, remains unknown. Sampling in November 2001 in the river Meusc near Dilsen Stokkem yielded no specimens.