Results: No need for males
Published on 05/08/2018
The crayfish seem to be the result of a single drastic mutation in a slough crayfish, native to the Satilla River in Florida and Georgia. Around three decades ago, two slough crayfish mated. In normal reproduction, each sex cell has a single copy of each chromosome. But there was something awry with one of these initial two crayfish—a mutation that left it with two copies in its sex cell. Somehow, the offspring was hardy and in perfect condition. Incredibly, it had three copies of each chromosome, and the ability to reproduce asexually, without requiring any input from a male. Can you mention any other creature that reproduces by cloning itself?
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(Source: Natasha Frost) The marbled crayfish looks much like any other freshwater crustacean. It has two claws, ten legs, and an attractive blue-brown marbled shell. Yet this six-inch creature, found in streams and lakes around the world, represents far more sinister possibilities than you might expect. Its new scientific name gives a few clues: Procambarus virginalis. Every marbled crayfish is female—and they reproduce by cloning themselves. Were you aware about this fact regarding marbled crayfish?
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A bit more than 25 years ago, the marbled crayfish did not exist at all. Now, they can be found in the wild by the millions in Germany, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Ukraine, Japan, and Madagascar. Online advice to marmorkreb owners is clear: they breed like bunnies. "While a 10 gallon aquarium is fine for a couple of months," one site cautions, "that 10 gallon is going to get smaller and smaller as these animals reproduce. … A good rule of thumb is—the bigger the colony, the bigger the tank. Did you ever have marbled crayfish as pets?
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105 votes
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Whatever the conditions, the crayfish thrive. Marmorkrebs, it turns out, are as hardy as they are prolific. And when there are too many of them in a water body, they simply relocate. The Times reports that they will walk hundreds of yards to find new lakes or streams, where a single specimen can produce an entire population. Are there any marble crayfish colonies near your home?
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