Cherax destructor.

Cherax destructor is a semi-aquatic crayfish, naturally distributed in a wide range of habitats in its native range of distribution (e.g. desert mound springs, alpine streams, subtropical creeks, rivers, billabongs, ephemeral lakes, swamps, farm dams, and irrigation channels). It has a relatively high commercial value, being a culinary delicacy (‘baby lobster’) and bait for sport fishing (Western Australia Fisheries, 1999; Nguyen, 2005), but it is also used as aquarium species and in research. As a consequence, C. destructor has been (and may be) subject to extensive translocation in Australia and elsewhere. Populations of this species have become established in Western Australia (Lynas et al., 2007) and in Tasmania (Elvey et al., 1997) and, outside Australia, in Spain and in Italy (Souty-Grosset et al., 2006; Scalici et al., 2009). Cherax destructor is susceptible to the so-called crayfish plague, which has been used to control invasive populations in Spain. Because of its r-selected properties, high tolerance to environmental extremes and ability to cope with global warming, along with the severe impacts on other species and ecosystems, it has been classified as a high-risk species by Tricarico et al. (2009) using the FI-ISK tool.