Short Communications
July 14 2025
Vol. 95 No. 1 (2025)
Citizen scientist in action: first evidence of the non-native spiny-cheek crayfish Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817) as a trophic source for water-related birds
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
0
Views
0
Downloads
Authors
We report the first European record of five shorebirds (Anas platyrhynchos, Fulica atra, Larus michahellis, Melanitta fusca, and Podiceps cristatus) preying on the non-native spiny-cheek crayfish (Faxonius limosus) in Lombardy (Northern Italy). This crayfish is considered an invasive alien species, rapidly spreading all over the country, primarily in northern regions. These first observations of predation by bird species evidenced the availability of F. limosus as a new trophic resource, even for mostly herbivorous species, such as F. atra and A. platyrhynchos. In this note, we would also highlight the role of citizens in providing further records of new interactions among native and non-native species.
Altmetrics
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Citations
Arce J. & Diéguez-Uribeondo J., 2015 – Structural damage caused by the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) in rice fields of the Iberian Peninsula: a study case. Fundamental and Applied Limnology/Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 186: 259-269. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1127/fal/2015/0715
Arim M., Abades S. R., Neill P. E., Lima M. & Marquet P. A., 2005 – Spread dynamics of invasive species. Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, 103: 374-378. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0504272102
Aquiloni L., Tricarico E. & Gherardi F., 2010 – Crayfish in Italy: distribution, threats and management. International Acquatic Research, 2: 1-14.
Battisti C. & Cerfolli F., 2021 – From citizen science to citizen management: suggestions for a pervasive fine-grained and operational approach to biodiversity conservation. Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution, 68: 8-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22244662-bja10029
Blackburn T. M., Bellard C. & Ricciardi A., 2019 – Alien versus native species as drivers of recent extinctions. Frontiers in Ecology and Environment, 17: 203-207. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2020
Boggero A., Croci C., Zanaboni A., Zaupa S., Paganelli D., Garzoli L., Bras T., Busiello A., Orrù A., Beatrizzotti S. & Kamburska L., 2023 – New records of the spiny-cheek crayfish Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817): expansion in subalpine lakes in North-western Italy. BioInvasions Records, 12: 445-446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2023.12.2.09
Bonanno G., 2016 – Alien species: to remove or not to remove? That is the question. Environmental Science & Policy, 59: 267-273. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.02.011
Chinchio E., Crotta M., Romeo C., Drewe J. A., Guitan J. & Ferrar N., 2020 – Invasive alien species and disease risk: An open challenge in public and animal health. Plos Pathogens, 16: e1008922. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008922
Colautti R. I. & MacIsaac H. J., 2004 – A neutral terminology to define ‘invasive’ species. Diversity and Distributions, 10: 135-141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1366-9516.2004.00061.x
Correia A. M., 2001 – Seasonal and interspecific evaluation of predation by mammals and birds on the introduced red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Crustacea, Cambaridae) in a freshwater marsh (Portugal). Journal of Zoology, 255: 533-541. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836901001625
Delmastro G. B., 2017 – Il gambero della Louisiana Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) in Piemonte: nuove osservazioni su distribuzione, biologia, impatto e utilizzo (Crustacea: Decapoda: Cambaridae). Rivista piemontese di Storia Naturale, 38: 61-129.
Durinck J., Christensen K. D., Skov H. & Danielsen F., 1993 – Diet of the Common Scoter Melanitta nigra and Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca wintering in the North Sea. Ornis Fennica, 70: 215-218.
English M. D., Robertson G. J., Peck L. E. & Mallory E. L., 2017 – Agricultural food resources and the foraging ecologies of American black ducks (Anas rubripes) and mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) at the northern limits of their winter ranges. Urban Ecosystems, 20: 1311-1318. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-017-0683-0
Fasola M. & Caldarelli E., 2015 – Long-term changes in the food resources of a guild of breeding Ardeinae (Aves) in Italy. Italian Journal of Zoology, 82: 238-250. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11250003.2014.966256
Foster-Smith J. & Evans S. M., 2003 – The value of marine ecological data collected by volunteers. Biological Conservation, 113: 199-213. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00373-7
Gallitelli L., Battisti C. & Scalici M., 2023 – Using social media to determine the global distribution of plastics in birds’ nests: the role of riverine habitats. Land, 12: 670. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land12030670
Garzoli L., Mammola S., Ciampittiello M. & Boggero A., 2020 – Alien crayfish species in the deep subalpine Lake Maggiore (NW-Italy), with a focus on the biometry and habitat preferences of the spiny-cheek crayfish. Water, 12: 1391. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w12051391
Gentili R., Schaffner U., Martinoli A. & Citterio S., 2021 – Invasive alien species and biodiversity: impacts and management. Biodiversity, 22: 1-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14888386.2021.1929484
Graebner R. C., Callaway R. M. & Montesinos D., 2012 – Invasive species grows faster, competes better, and shows greater evolution toward increased seed size and growth than exotic non-invasive congeners. Plant Ecology, 213: 545-553. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0020-x
Gwiazda R., 1997 – Foraging ecology of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus L.) at a mesotrophic-eutrophic reservoir. Hydrobiologia, 353: 39-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003057400415
Haynes G. D., Gongora J., Gilligan D. M., Grewe P., Mora C. & Nicholas F. W., 2012 – Hybridization between Cyprinid species. Animal Conservation, 15: 83-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2011.00490.x
Holdich D. & Black J., 2007 – The spiny-cheek crayfish, Orconectes limosus (Rafinesque, 1817) [Crustacea: Decapoda: Cambaridae], digs into the UK. Aquatic Invasions, 2: 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2007.2.1.1
Holdich D. M., Reynolds J. D., Souty-Grosset C. & Sibley P. J., 2009 – A review of the ever increasing threat to European crayfish from non-indigenous crayfish species. Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, 11: 394-395. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2009025
Invasive Species Compendium, 2022 – Faxonius limosus (Spiny-cheek crayfish). <https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/72033>
International Union for Conservation of Nature, 2024 – The IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2023-1. <https://www.iucnredlist.org>
Kaldre K., Paaver T., Hurt M. & Gross R., 2020 – Continuing expansion of non-indigenous crayfish species in Northern Europe: first established spinycheek crayfish Faxonius limosus (Refinesque, 1817) population in Estonia. BioInvasions Records, 9: 127-132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2020.9.1.17
Kozák P., Buřič M. & Policar T., 2006 – The fecundity, time of egg development and juvenile production in spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) under controlled conditions. Bulletin Francais de la Peche et de la Pisciculture, 380-381: 1171-1182. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae:2006019
Lepczyk C. A., 2005 – Integrating published data and citizen science to describe bird diversity across a landscape. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42: 672-677. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01059.x
MEA, 2005 – Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis of the millennium ecosystem assessment. Island Press, Washington DC.
Metna F., Lardjane-Hamiti A., Boukhemza-Zemmouri N., Boukhemza M., Merabet S. & Abba R., 2015 – Diet of the coot Fulica atra (Aves, Rallidae) in the nature reserve of Lake Réghaïa (Algiers, Algeria). Zoology and Ecology, 25: 34-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21658005.2014.994363
Momot W. T., 1988 – Orconectes in north America and elsewhere. In: Holdich D. M. & Lowery R. S. (eds.). Biology of freshwater crayfish: biology, management and exploitation. Croom Helm, London and Sydney.
Pejchar L. & Mooney H. A., 2009 – Invasive species, ecosystem services and human well-being. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 24: 497-504. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.016
Perrow M. R., Schutten J. H., Howes J.R., Holzer T., Madgwick F. J. & Jowitt A. J. D., 1997 – Interactions between coot (Fulica atra) and submerged macrophytes: the role of birds in the restoration process. In: Kufel L., Prejs A., Rybak J. I. (eds.). Shallow Lakes ’95. Springer, Dordrecht. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5648-6_26
Pilotto F., Free G., Crosa G., Sena F., Ghiani M. & Cardoso C. A., 2008 – The invasive crayfish orconectes limosus in Lake Varese: estimating abundance and population size structure in the context of habitat and methodological constraints. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 28: 633-640. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1651/07-2967.1
Sharp R. L., Larson L. R. & Green G. T., 2011 – Factors influencing public preferences for invasive alien species management. Biological Conservation, 144: 2097-2104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2011.04.032
Silvertown J., 2009 – A new dawn for citizen science. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 24: 467-471. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2009.03.017
Souty-Grosset C., Holdich D. M., Noel Py, Reynolds J. D. & Haffner P., 2006 – Atlas of Crayfish in Europe. Patrimoines Naturels. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris.
Stempniewicz L., 1986 – The food intake of two Scoters Melanitta fusca and M. nigra wintering in the Gulf of Gdańsk, Polish Baltic Coast. Vår Fågelv, 11.
Todorov M., Trichkova T., Hubenov Z. & Juraida P., 2020 – Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817) (Decapoda: Cambaridae), a new invasive alien species of European Union concern in Bulgaria. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica, 72: 113-221.
How to Cite
Citizen scientist in action: first evidence of the non-native spiny-cheek crayfish Faxonius limosus (Rafinesque, 1817) as a trophic source for water-related birds. (2025). Rivista Italiana Di Ornitologia, 95(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/rio.2025.815
Copyright (c) 2025 Jan Giordano, Davide Taurozzi, Giuseppe Vecchio, Massimiliano Scalici, Corrado Battisti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.