English

Abstract

Abstract I surveyed the peer-reviewed literature for studies on crayfish population genetics over the last 20 years (1996 to 2015). My objectives were to determine if there is research disparities based on crayfish conservation status, ecological group, geographic location, and genetic methods used. Additionally, I wished to determine overall trends in crayfish genetics related to population variability, systematics, and technique development. An extensive literature search yielded 201 peer-reviewed articles with genetic information published on 335 of the 590 crayfish species found worldwide. The majority of peer-reviewed articles took place in Europe and Australia/Oceania despite the fact that crayfish biodiversity is greatest in North America. Crayfish within each ecological group (primary burrowers, lotic inhabitants, lentic inhabitants, and stygobitic species) are represented in these published papers. I found published articles on ~ 57% of the estimated 590 extant species. Further, of the 173 species listed as critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, or as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, I found published research on ~ 62% of these species in these classifications thus indicating a knowledge gap for many imperiled species. This lack of basic genetic (and ecological) information is significant as species designation is often used to determine where we should focus our conservation actions. Understanding what constitutes a single interbreeding population and identifying taxonomic designations are priorities for defining conservation management plans.