Abstract

Survival of confined pairs of unfed, size-matched, juvenile red swamp, Procambarus clarkii, and white river, P. zonangulus, crayfish in 78-mm laboratory bowls over 21 days was measured using Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Sex had no significant effect on survival of juveniles in either species. Overall, P. zonangulus were more aggressive than P. clarkii, but there were significant substrate effects. In dishes without substrates P. clarkii survived significantly longer in intraspecific contests and significantly shorter in interspecific contests than P. zonangulus. Vegetation substrate had no effect on survival of P. zonangulus but did affect P. clarkii. Ceratophyllum resulted in increased aggression as measured by decreased survival in intraspecific pairs of P. clarkii, equalized P. clarkii to P. zonangulus in interspecific pairs, but had no effect on intraspecific pairs of P. zonangulus. Hay served as a refugia for P. clarkii and increased their survival in both intra and inter specific contests compared to controls. Soil substrate had more effect on P. zonangulus than on P. clarkii. In intraspecific contests, the addition of either sand or air dried clay significantly increased the survival of the usually more aggressive P. zonangulus. In interspecific contests P. clarkii had better survival in the presence of clay by using it for refuge. Sand substrate did not increase the survival of P. clarkii in either interspecific or intraspecific contests, and clay substrate had no effect on intraspecific contests in pairs of P. clarkii.

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