Abstract

Research was conducted in the Dobra and Mrežnica rivers (continental Croatia) from October 2006 to October 2007, with the aim of learning about the life cycle of the narrow-clawed crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) in this region of Europe. Crayfish were collected twice a month with baited traps. Various physiological crayfish functions and physico-chemical parameters of the water, as well as selected morphometrical features of crayfish, were recorded. In total, 311 crayfish were trapped (180 males, 131 females). Sex ratio fluctuated throughout the year, depending on the the physiological status of crayfish. Crayfish were active throughout the year, with a peak of activity in April and July in the Dobra River, and without an apparent peak in the Mrežnica River. Preparation for mating started in September (i.e., developed glair glands), egg spawning was first recorded in December, and juveniles hatched in the second half of May. Freshly moulted crayfish were found from May until September. Main injuries were claw and limb loss, and there were no external signs of diseases or epibionts within the populations studied.

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