Abstract

The spinycheek crayfish, Orconectes limosus, was first recorded in Lithuania in 1994. Until recently, information relating to the distribution of O. limosus in Lithuanian rivers was limited. For this reason, the Nemunas River, its large tributaries and three second order tributaries were surveyed for the presence of O. limosus during 2005 – 2007. The species was recorded in the middle and lower reaches of the Nemunas River, and in most of its large tributaries: Baltoji An?ia, Neris, Nev?žis, Dubysa, Šešup? and Minija. Only the J?ra River, the right-hand tributary of the lower Nemunas River, was devoid of O. limosus, however, this species was observed in a tributary. In the Žeimena River, a tributary of the Neris River, yet another invasive crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, was detected. This is the first documented occurrence of this American species in the lotic waters of Lithuania. The results of this study suggest that further expansion of O. limosus by natural dispersal is to be expected, which may be substantially facilitated by human-mediated introductions.

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