On the presence of the Australian redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus, in Mexico

Abstract

The first reports of wild caught Australian redclaw crayfish from Mexico, in the states of Morelos and Tamaulipas, are presented. Redclaw crayfish were first brought to Mexico in 1995 to initiate experimental cultures at several research centers. In the following years a number of private ventures started commercial cultures, several of which in the states of Morelos and Tamaulipas are thought to have been the sources for the wild populations recorded in this study. The farms that acted as the original sources have not been operating for at least 2 years. In Morelos, high densities and all size classes of redclaws, including ovigerous females, were captured in natural waterways; whereas in Tamaulipas they were found at four sites occurring in irrigation canals in an agricultural district. The size attained by the wild redclaws, the abiotic conditions in which they were found and the potential for spread within the drainage systems of the Balsas and Tamesi Rivers are discussed.