Abstract
Data are reported on genetic variation at 30 enzyme loci in <i>Austropotamobius<i/> crayfish from France, England, Italy, Spain, and the Balkans. Three population groups were detected, corresponding to <i>A. torrentium<i/> , <i>A. pallipes<i/> and <i>A. italicus<i/> (<i>sensu<i/> KARAMAN, 1962). Reproductive isolation between these three taxa was demonstrated in the field. Populations from England, France, and north-western Italy belong to <i>A. pallipes sensu stricto<i/> , those from the rest of Italy, Spain, western Slovenia and north-western Croatia belong to <i>A. italicus<i/> , whereas <i>A. torrentium<i/> was found in the Balkans up to the Italian border. An average DW e / of 0.30 was found between <i>A. pallipes<i/> and <i>A. italicus<i/> , while the average genetic distance between these two species and <i>A. torrentium<i/> was DNei = 0.77. Populations of <i>A. italicus<i/> from Spain and north-central Apennines were found to be genetically closely related (DNei = 0.05), not supporting a subspecific rank for these populations (A /. lusitanicus). Marked interpopulation genetic diversity was observed both within <i>A. italicus<i/> (average FST - 0.80, DNe! up to 0.18), and within <i>A. torrentium<i/> (average FST= 0.73, DNel up to 0.14), comparable to that previously reported for <i>A. pallipes<i/> . Such genetic heterogeneity appears mainly related to range fragmentations and subsequent recolonizations from multiple réfugia during the last glacial events. Overall low values of genetic variability were found in the samples tested (<i>e.g. He<i/> from 0 to 0.05), with the highest values in larger sized populations from less disturbed areas (<i>e.g.<i/> in <i>A. italicus<i/> from Spain and Slovenia). The genetic erosion observed in <i>Austropotamobius<i/> populations stresses the need to restore their genetic variability, <i>e.g.<i/> by controlled restocking, for successful programs of recovery and management of these endangered crayfish.
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