Marmorkrebs · Procambarus virginalis

Introducing self-cloning aquarium feeders

Marbled crayfish are a true self-cloning wonder for the domestic aquarium, and this is the original website for them, tracking Marmorkrebs since they were first found in a German aquarium shop in the late 1990s.

This animal is often in the news as an invasive species, and with good reason: released marbled crayfish have established wild populations in Europe and Madagascar, and they can carry crayfish plague, which kills native crayfish. Kept responsibly in an aquarium, though, it's a useful, low-maintenance source of feeders, classroom material, and research subjects. No animal should ever be released into the wild from domestic care. As a pet, or for classroom study, marbled crayfish make an excellent addition.

For keepers of aquarium fish, reptiles, and amphibians, these crays are an ideal feeder source, and frozen crays are commonly used as fishing bait. Because they clone themselves — a rare trait for any newly discovered species — university researchers also use them to study DNA and genetics.