Europe is racing to eradicate a crayfish that can reproduce without mating; in the Czech Republic...

Conservationists in Europe are racing to stop the next invasive species before it spreads European conservationists have started targeted eradication efforts against newly discovered populations of self-cloning marbled crayfish in the Czech Republic. They are trying to remove the species before it can spread through local waterways.The work in Moravia is part of a wider European Union effort to stop invasive alien species while their populations are still small enough to remove completely.The Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic is leading the local project, which targets two newly discovered groups of marbled crayfish. Unlike almost all other freshwater crustaceans, marbled crayfish reproduce through parthenogenesis. This means a single female can produce genetically identical offspring without mating.The species can therefore increase its numbers quickly. It also carries crayfish plague, a fungal disease that has badly reduced native European crayfish populations.Fast funding targets small populationsThe Czech project is among the first 20 projects supported by the European Invasive Alien Species Rapid-Response Fund. Co-funded by the European Union and carried out thr...