Abstract

Diet and food preferences of red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, were studied. Detritic plant material was the largest fraction of gut contents. Variations of food habits were explained by the availability of the different food types, emphasizing an opportunistic trophic strategy. In laboratory tests, preference for animal food was observed with aquatic macro-invertebrates (Odonata and Ephemeroptera larvae and Planorbidae snails), with weak escape reactions, and with fish corpses. Predation on fish, with stronger escape behaviour, had lower efficiency and preference for vegetal detritic matter was observed under these circumstances. The choice of feeding strategy may be interpreted in terms of cost-benefit analysis. In spite of the actual preference for animal food, the high costs involved in active predation may explain crayfish phyto/detritophagous feeding in most situations.

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