Freshwater crayfish

Freshwater crayfish are divided into 2 superfamilies, the Astacoidea and the Parastacoidea. Astacoidea includes Astacidae (European, Asian and North American species) and Cambaridae (North American species), while Parastacoidea includes only the family Parastacidae, representing the crayfish from the Southern Hemisphere.

Among the decapods, freshwater crayfish are key species of aquatic ecosystems, with a strong impact on the biodiversity of their habitat. Despite their high ecological significance and their economic value as luxury food products, native European crayfish of the Astacidae family are still unexplored at the genomic level.