Invasive crustaceans in European inland waters

At least 52,000 species of crustaceans have been described, although many more probably exist (Martin and Davis 2001). They are amongst the most prolific macroinvertebrates in the aquatic environment, both in terms of numbers and species diversity, but they do not usually cause public concern unless they are large and become invasive, e.g. the red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus Samouelle, in Norway, the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis, in Germany and the UK, and the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, in African lakes (Chapter 4).