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BY-NC-ND 3.0 license Open Access Published by De Gruyter Open Access October 18, 2013

The diet of the spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus in the Czech Republic

  • Renata Vojkovská EMAIL logo , Ivona Horká and Zdeněk Ďuriš
From the journal Open Life Sciences

Abstract

The composition of the diet of the invasive spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus was studied using qualitative and quantitative analyses of stomach contents. A total of 368 specimens collected in 2003–2005 and 2008 in Czech localities were examined, predominantly from the Labe (Elbe) and Vltava River basins. Food components were compared for three size classes of crayfish and both sexes. The following conclusions were reached: (1) the spiny-cheek crayfish is an omnivorous species consuming plants, animals and detritus; (2) quantitatively, the main food component of O. limosus is detritus, while the plant component was second; (3) O. limosus may swallow whole food particles up to 4 mm in size, and the bodies of small animals may sometimes be found undamaged in their stomachs.

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Published Online: 2013-10-18
Published in Print: 2014-1-1

© 2013 Versita Warsaw

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

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