Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)
Red swamp crayfish have been recorded at a few sites in London; these are the only known populations in the UK at present. They originate from northern Mexico and southern USA. Red swamp crayfish are crayfish plague carriers. They eat large quantities of water plants as well as small animals and can turn clear lakes into muddy ones that have few or no plants. They burrow much more than Signal crayfish do and they can survive in ditches and shallow ponds that sometimes dry out in summer, where other introduced crayfish could not survive well.
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| Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) © Stephanie Peay |
| FACTFILE: Their body length averages 10cm and is rough, dark red, orange or reddish brown in colour but olive-green to brown when young. Their claws are usually red on both surfaces with warty lumps on them. |
