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Marmorkrebs are cloning crayfish
Marmorkrebs are cloning crayfish
“Marmorkrebs” is an informal name given to marbled crayfish that were discovered by hobbyists in Germany in the late 1990s. “Marmorkrebs” roughly translates from German as “marbled crab.” The scientific name for Marmorkrebs is Procambarus virginalis (previously Procambarus fallax f. virginalis). They are an asexual relative of slough crayfish (Procambarus fallax) that live across Florida and southern Georgia in the United States. The only known cases of Marmorkrebs in the wild are where they have been introduced by humans.
Marmorkrebs are parthenogenetic: they are all females, and reproduce without sex. This is the only decapod crustacean found that reproduces only this way, giving it incredible potential as a model organism for research. Some of the advantages of Marmorkrebs are that they are genetically identical, reproduce at high rates, and are easy to care for.
Marmorkrebs are invasive
Marmorkrebs are invasive
Marmorkrebs have been introduced and established populations in many countries. They can damage agriculture and threaten native species. Marmorkrebs should not be used for bait, kept in outdoor tanks or ponds (Marmorkrebs can migrate over land), or placed in any other situation where they could be released into natural ecosystems.
The European Union banned Marmorkrebs (i.e., possession, trade, transport, production, and release) and some other crayfish species in 2016. The United Kingdom kept this prohibition after its departure from the European Union in 2020.
Japan banned breeding and selling Marmorkrebs (and other crayfish species) in 2020.
In North America, Marmorkrebs are prohibited in:
Georgia, USA (since 2022)
Idaho, USA (since 2010)
Missouri, USA (since 2011)
Tennessee, USA (since 2015)
Michigan, USA (since 2020)
Ohio, USA (since 2020)
Saskatchewan, Canada (since 2020)
Ontario, Canada (since 2022)
Minnesota, USA (since 2024)
In 2022, one person in the US plead guilty to selling Marmorkrebs.
Recent research papers
Recent research papers
More papers available in “Publications” tab at top of page.
Forthcoming
Forthcoming
🆕 Balzani P, Musil M, Weiperth A, Bláha M, Kubec J, Ruokonen TJ, Ercoli F, Bányai ZM, Buřič M, Veselý L, Kouba A. Seasonal changes in trophic ecology of co-occurring freshwater invasive species at a thermal locality. Hydrobiologia: In press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-025-05872-8
🆕🔓 Coutinho Carneiro V, Schäfer I, Diaz-Larrosa JJ, Böhl E, Hahn T, Hempelmann J, Venkatesh G, Nagarajan S, Roy S, Ng YL, Böhl F, Zibek S, Lyko F. Establishment and characterization of biofloc culture for marbled crayfish. Frontiers in Aquaculture 4: In press. https://doi.org/10.3389/faquc.2025.1580560
Teesalu P, Muuga JM, Hurt M, Kaldre K, Nõges T, Ercoli F. Effects of temperature on marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis, Lyko 2017) invasion ecology. Hydrobiologia: In press. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-025-05828-y
2025 research papers
2025 research papers
Eiler A, Stensrud E, Osman O. 2025. Detection of marbled crayfish Procambarus fallax. protocols.io. https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.q26g78199lwz/v1
🔓 Kaur D, Das K, Kubec J, Buřič M. Stress conditions extend maternal care and delay juvenile development in crayfish. Current Zoology 71(1): 25–32. https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoae017
Kaur D, Khan A, Kubec J, Breithaupt T, Buřič M. 2025. Efficacy of administration routes in crayfish: Comparative analysis of intracoelomic and intrapericardial techniques using fluorescein dye. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological and Integrative Physiology: 343: 95-104 . https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jez.2872
Sheppard NLM, Ricciardi A. 2025. Influence of warming on the functional responses of invasive omnivores, Procambarus crayfishes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 82: 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2024-0334
2024 research papers
2024 research papers
🔓 Burggren W, Martinez Bautista G, Göpel T, Padilla P. 2024. Lack of genetic variation in low heterozygosity and clonal animals creates lack of physiological variation. Physiology 39:S1. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiol.2024.39.S1.1477 (Abstract only.)
🔓 Das K, Roy K, Mráz J, Buřič M, Kouba A. 2024. Considerations for fatty acids in standardized reference diet for parthenogenetic marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis model organism. Scientific Reports 14: 15933. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-66268-7
García SM, Curtis AN, Hartman JH, Reinhofer JP, Sawyer EK, Larson ER. 2024. Does crayfish molting affect environmental DNA detectability? Freshwater Crayfish 29(1): 37-47. https://doi.org/10.5869/fc.2024.v29-1.37
Golubev AP, Ulashchyk EA, Bodilovskaya OA. 2024. Modeling the growth of the invasive river crayfish species Procambarus virginalis (Decapoda, Astacidea) under different temperature conditions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387918897_Modeling_the_growth_of_the_invasive_river_crayfish_species_Procambarus_virginalis_Decapoda_Astacidea_under_different_temperature_conditions (Abstract only on this page. DOI 10.46646/2521-683X/2024-4-18-34 was not working as of this writing.)
🔓 Golubev AP, Ulashchyk EA, Bodilovskaya OA, Giginjak YG. 2024. Assessing the invasive potential of parthenogenetic marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017 (Decapoda, Astacidea) in the water bodies of the temperate zone of Europe. Doklady Natsional’noi akademii nauk Belarusi = Doklady of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus 68(2): 129–137. (In Russian). https://doi.org/10.29235/1561-8323-2024-68-2-129-137
Göpel T, Burggren WW. 2024. Temperature and hypoxia trigger developmental phenotypic plasticity of cardiorespiratory physiology and growth in the parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 288: 111562. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.111562
Heinz J, Wenninger M. 2024. Evaluation of immersion in emulsified isoflurane or propofol as part of a two-step euthanasia protocol in marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 55(2): 424-429. https://doi.org/10.1638/2023-0137
🔓 Jeong H, Choi JH. 2024. Assessing the invasive risk of Procambarus virginalis (marbled crayfish) in South Korea. Journal of Ecology and Environment 48: 47. http://doi.org/10.5141/jee.24.087
Jurmalietis R, Grickus A, Elstina A. 2024. Marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis) as a promising object for aquaculture industry. Conferences of Rezekne Academy of Technologies, Environment. Technology. Resources. 12th International Scientific and Practical Conference. June 27-28, 2024, “'Vasil Levski”' National Military University, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. https://conferences.ru.lv/index.php/ETR/ETR2019/rt/printerFriendly/3287/0 (abstract only)
Kaliberda A, Marenkov O, Kaliberda N. 2024. The use of albuvir to produce a life-sustaining young crayfish. In: Modern Scientific and Technical Research in the Context of Linguistic Space (in English): Conference materials of the III All-Ukrainian scientific and practical conference of young scholars and students. 355 pp. Dnipro: Bila K. O. https://www.dnu.dp.ua/docs/ndc/2024/materiali_konferenc/13.pdf#page=18
🔓 Kamburska L, Sabatino R, Schiavetta D, De Santis V, Ferrari E, Mor J-R, Zaupa S, Garzoli L, Boggero A. 2024. A new misleading colour morph: is Marmorkrebs the only “marbled” crayfish? BioInvasions Records 13(4): 949-961. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2024.13.4.09
🔓 Musil M, Let M, Riebel M, Balzani P, Kouba A. 2024. Non-native three-spined stickleback, a small but voracious predator of invasive crayfish. Journal of Vertebrate Biology 73: 24060. https://doi.org/10.25225/jvb.24060
🔓 Neculae A, Barnett ZC, Miok K, Dalosto MM, Kuklina I, Kawai T, Santos S, Furse JM, Sîrbu OI, Stoeckel JA, Pârvulescu L. 2024. Living on the edge: Crayfish as drivers to anoxification of their own shelter microenvironment. PLOS ONE 19(1): e0287888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0287888
🔓 Sánchez O, Oficialdegui FJ, Torralba-Burrial A, Arbesú R, Valle-Artaza JM, Fernández-González Á, Ardura A, Arias A. Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017: A new threat to Iberian inland waters. Ecology and Evolution 14(5): e11362. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.11362
Sheppard NLM, Pham J, Ricciardi A. 2024. Influence of reproductive state and temperature on the functional response of the marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis. Biological Invasions 26: 9-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-023-03166-5
Steen F, Scheers K, Abeel T, Claeyé J, Hermans V, Riascos Flores L, Maex B, Vermeylen M, Adriaens T. 2024. Preliminary assessment of the native benthic predators, burbot (Lota lota) and catfish (Silurus glanis), as biological control agents for marbled crayfish. Poster presented at IAA24 Symposium of the International Association of Astacology, 16-20 September 2024, Zagreb, Croatia. https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/776025 (PDF)
📹 YouTube video of catfish foraging on Marmorkrebs.
Thammatorn W, Kouba A, Nováková P, Žlábek V, Koubová A. 2024. Effects of diphenhydramine on crayfish cytochrome P450 activity and antioxidant defence mechanisms: First evidence of CYP2C- and CYP3A-like activity in marbled crayfish. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 285: 117035. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.117035
Toutain M, Soto I, Oficialdegui FJ, Balzani P, Cuthbert RN, Haubrock PJ, Kouba A. 2024. Ecological importance of crayfish claws in consumption of mobile benthic prey. Aquatic Sciences 86(4): 103. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-024-01107-5
🔓 Veselý L, Balzani P, Haubrock PJ, Buřič M, Glon M, Ercoli F, Ruokonen TJ, Kainz MJ, Hämäläinen H, Kouba A. Species-specific trophic discrimination factors can reduce the uncertainty of stable isotope analyses. Hydrobiologia 851: 3471–3487. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-024-05513-6
🔓 Yanai Z, Guy-Haim T, Kolodny O, Levitt-Barmats Ya, Mazal A, Morov AR, Sagi A, Truskanov N, Milstein D. 2024. An overview of recent introductions of non-native crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda) into inland water systems in Israel. BioInvasions Records 13(1): 195-208. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2024.13.1.17
This site is maintained by Zen Faulkes and was last updated 18 April 2025.
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