MATSUYAMA--War must be declared on the alien mystery crayfish because it clones itself without mating and its population could explode and threaten local species of animals, an expert biologist warns.
"We need to wipe them out as soon as possible,” said Ushio Nishikawa, an associate professor of conservation biology of Kanazawa University's Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, after the mystery crayfish was found in the Shigenobugawa river here.
The crustacean is always female and is extremely fertile because it is parthenogenetic, which means it lays eggs that do not require sperm for fertilization.
“The population of these creatures shot up in a short period of time overseas such as the African island nation Madagascar. If the species takes root in Japan, it could threaten indigenous creatures," Nishikawa said.
The mystery crayfish, called marbled crayfish or marmorkrebs overseas, was found by researchers led by Mikio Inoue, professor of stream ecology of Ehime University’s Faculty of Science.
They have been conducting environmental research at Matsubaraizumi spring, which feeds into the Shigenobugawa river, since spring 2015.
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