Summer Issue July 2019 Volume 41, Issue 2 p-ISSN: 1023-8174 (print) e-ISSN: 2150-9239 (online) Inside this issue Cover Story 1 President’s Corner 2 Meeting 3 announcements Short articles 5 Big Brother is watching - perhaps thankfully in 5 this case? A Record-sized Barbicambarus 6 cornutus Antique specimen of the Japanese crayfish 7 Cambaroides Japonicus Figure 1. Male specimen of Austropotamobius bihariensis. Literature of Interest 9 to Astacologists Recently, a new species of Austropotamobius were described as a new species of crayfish, was described in Europe. How could this named Austropotamobius bihariensis, after the species have remained hidden for such a long region of Biharia where the species is endemic. IAA online time, in a high research-activity area like The diagnostic morphological features are the Europe? lack of denticulation on the lower edge of the The highly divergent populations of the new antennal scale, a significantly shorter bell- crayfish species found in the Apuseni shaped rostrum, and fewer tubercles on the Mountains, Romania, were estimated to have palms of the chelae than its relatives split 15 million years ago from the Dinarides (Pârvulescu, 2019). and evolved in isolation due to the tectonic Historically, the populations of A. bihariensis north-eastern movement of the Tisza-Dacia were ascribed as A. torrentium, with no mega-unit (including the Apuseni Mountains) consideration that they might be different through the Pannonian Basin during the subspecies based on morphology (e.g., Băcescu, Miocene (Pârvulescu et al., 2019). Supported by 1967, Holdich et al., 2006). These populations morphological evidence, these populations (Continued on page5 ) Crayfish News Volume 41 Issue 2: Page 1 Dear IAA members dauricus. Chinese astacologists should beware of the illegal release of alien crayfish and pay attention to conservation of I hope that all of you are enjoying the their native crayfish species. Summer season. I have two nice news In the last slot of the symposium, member of the organizing items for you: committee of IAA23 Antonín Kouba, introduced the upcoming international IAA meeting in the Czech Republic. He presented Crayfish symposium in Hong Kong the venue and invited the people present to attend the meeting. In May 2019, I organized a crayfish He did an excellent presentation, and several attendees of the symposium entitled “Biology of symposium showed interest in IAA23. Freshwater Crayfish” at the mid-year Invitation for IAA23 meeting of The Crustacean Society in Hong Kong. Several IAA members Tadashi Kawai, Ph.D. Pavel Kozák launched the IAA23 website and the meeting IAA President (Japan) participated and lectured as invited announcement is now available on the IAA website. Our next speakers: Antonín Kouba (University of IAA biannual symposium will be held in the Czech Republic from South Bohemia, Czech Republic) provided us with an update on 29 June - 3 July 2020. I am really looking forward to meeting the recent situation with alien crayfish species in Europe, Jason new IAA members and to seeing old crayfish friends again. Coughran (Sheridan College, Australia) presented on the historic cultural value of the Japanese endangered freshwater crayfish In the Czech Republic, we will decide on the next IAA Cambaroides japonicus, and Jiri Patoka (Czech University of Life symposium location. If you are interested to organize IAA24 in Sciences Prague, Czech Republic) gave a talk on the current 2022, please feel free to e-mail me. Since no IAA meetings have status of crayfish in Indonesia. Also, Denis Audo (China), Kento been hosted in the southern hemisphere after 2006, I would Kawata (Japan), Fang Li (China), Darren C.K. Yeo (Singapore), particularly be happy to receive proposals from this region. As Ingo S. Wehrtmann (Costa Rica) provided interesting an international society, it is important that our biannual presentations on paleontology, immunology and conservation of meetings cover both the northern and southern hemisphere. freshwater crayfish. I would of course recommend them to become IAA members and attend the upcoming IAA meeting. One of the Chinese attendees informed me that the pet trade market in China is growing and that marble crayfish or marmorkrebs (Procambarus virginalis) are sold on the online Tadashi Kawai market. China has a unique ecosystem and is home to valuable Hokkaido, Japan native freshwater crayfishes - Cambaroides schrenckii and C. [email protected] The International Association of Astacology (IAA), founded in Hintertal, Austria Officers: in 1972, is dedicated to the study, conservation, and wise utilization of freshwater crayfish. Any individual or institution interested in furthering the Tadashi Kawai, President - Fisheries Research Department, Wakkanai study of astacology is eligible for membership. Service to members includes a Fisheries Research Institute, Wakkanai, Hokkaido, Japan. quarterly newsletter (Crayfish News), a membership directory, biennial E-mail: [email protected] international symposia and publication of the journal Freshwater Crayfish. Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo, President-Elect - Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC, Secretariat: Plaza de Murillo 2, 28104 Madrid, Spain. E-mail: [email protected] The International Association of Astacology has a permanent secretariat managed by James Stoeckel. Address: IAA Secretariat, Room 203, Swingle Hall, Christopher A. Taylor, Secretary - Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Natural Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University, AL 36849- History Survey, 1816 South Oak, Champaign, IL, USA. 5419, USA. E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +1(334) 844-9249 / Fax: +1(334) 844-9208 E-mail: [email protected] Lennart Edsman, Immediate Past President - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU Aqua, Institute of Freshwater Research, Web page: www.astacology.org Stangholmsvagen 2, Drottningholm, Sweden, SE-178 93. Webmaster: James W. Fetzner Jr. E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Statements and opinions expressed in Crayfish News are IAA Executive Board Members: not necessarily those of the International Association of Astacology. In addition to the IAA Officers and Past President, the Executive Board also Header photograph: Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) © 2018 Karolina Śliwińska includes Juan Carlos Azofeifa Solano (Costa Rica), Jacob Westhoff (USA), Chris Bovillain (USA), Ivana Maguire (Croatia), Pavel Kozák (Czech Republic), James This issue edited by Thomas Abeel, Managing Editor Furse, (Australia) and Quinton Burnham (Australia). E-mail: [email protected] Crayfish News Volume 41 Issue 2: Page 2 “IAA GOTLAND 2019 - CRAYFISH AND AQUACULTURE” CONFERENCE A regional European IAA meeting will take place, August 27-30 sites for noble crayfish farming, for extermination of the invasive 2019, within the walls of medieval town Visby on Gotland, the signal crayfish and for restoration of noble crayfish populations. largest island in the Baltic Sea. Apart from usual crayfish topics The day will end with a tour of the research station Ar on the like crayfish plague, conservation, genetics, physiology, northern part of Gotland where we will also have the conference management and invasives, there will be a special theme with banquet in the form of a traditional Swedish crayfish party. The aquaculture in general and crayfish culture in particular. Subjects meeting is organised by Swedish University of Agricultural like epigenetics and risk analyses will most likely also be touched Sciences, Blue Centre Gotland, Eastern Finland University, and upon. Gotland County Administrative Board. Every crayscientist, The meeting will start on August 27 with a day dealing with local crayexpert, crayenthusiast or any other type of a crayperson - and regional crayfish and aquaculture questions (in Swedish). In meaning farmer, manager, scientist or interested - is warmly the evening there is a welcome reception for everyone, local invited to take part. regional and international alike. Then follow two days of plenary Lennart Edsman talks, contributed talks, posters and workshops. The last day, Sweden August 30, will be devoted to an excursion on Gotland visiting • Registration is still open • Deadline for abstracts has been extended to July 15th • Honourable and economic awards will be given to students for best presentations For info and registration visit the conference website: www.cg.uu.se/icc2019 Organising committee through Lennart Edsman Figure 1. (above) Visby town walls. Figure 2. (below) Noble crayfish carved out of wood by local artist Anna “Atte” Larsson to be given as prizes for best presentations at the conference. Crayfish News Volume 41 Issue 2: Page 3 23RD SYMPOSIUM OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ASTACOLOGY Dear astacologists On behalf of the official organizing committee, the International Association of Astacology, and the hosting institution, the Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia, as well as the Organizing and Scientific committee, I would hereby like to cordially invite you to the IAA 23 Symposium, which will be held in the beautiful South Bohemia Region of the Czech Republic from June 29 to July 3, 2020. The Symposium will be held in the charming Hotel Štekl, located in close proximity to the enchanting Hluboká nad Vltavou Château, from where you will be able to appreciate the local atmosphere. This event will be focused on any crayfish-related topic including species diversity and distribution,