Strategic Management Prospects v4.0 Species Forecast Report created on 01 February, 2024

A Species Forecast Report is a summary of currently available information, the predicted 50-year outlook for the species, and potential pathways to recovery through species-specific and landscape-scale actions.

The report collates data from a range of sources including the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas, Strategic Management Prospects (SMP), Specific Needs Assessments, Threatened Species Action Statements, the Genetic Risk Index, and the IUCN Common Assessment Method.

Species Forecast Reports are intended to be used in conjunction with SMP and other spatial outputs in NatureKit, and Action Statements where relevant.

For more information on Species Forecast Reports, SMP and other biodiversity decision support tools, including user guides, visit Choosing actions for nature webpage on the DEECA website.


Species Overview

Taxon ID 1634
Scientific name Euastacus crassus
Common name Alpine Spiny Crayfish
Group Mussels, decapod crustacea
FFG status Endangered
EPBC status
Alpine Spiny Crayfish (Image Source: Atlas of Living Australia)

Alpine Spiny Crayfish (Image Source: Atlas of Living Australia)


Species description

Description and life history

The Alpine Spiny Crayfish is a moderate-sized species of spiny crayfish with a maximum recorded occipital carapace length (OCL) of 61 mm (McCormack 2012). Typically a nocturnal species, it wanders extensively during the night within the stream channel (McCormack 2012). Most species of Euastacus are moderate burrowers, seeking refuge under rock ledges and amongst submerged, in-stream tree roots (Zeidler 1982). E. crassuss is a significant burrower, building extensive burrow systems, usually from a stream at water level, but extending far back into the riparian zone and up to the forest floor. Whilst preferring permanent streams, some burrows are made in intermittent streams and crayfish persist in the burrows during dry spells by using the water in the base of the burrow (McCormack 2012). The diet of spiny freshwater crayfish consists primarily of aquatic to semi-aquatic vegetation and benthic invertebrates (Goddard 1988). Fungi and bacteria found in rotting detrital matter is also consumed (DCE 1992): E. crassus is a scavenger, eating vegetation/detritus, but occasionally meat (McCormack 2012). Sexual maturity is reached by females at 30-50 mm OCL and mating commences in July. Eggs are burgundy in colour and are carried under the tail of the female (McCormack, 2012). After hatching from eggs, the dependent juvenile crayfish are carried beneath the tail until their release during February to March (McCormack 2012). The yolk of the egg is retained by the young hatchlings as a yolk sac supplying food during early growth. Once the yolk sac has been completely absorbed, the juveniles disperse to fend for themselves.

Distribution

The Alpine Spiny Crayfish has a small distribution in Victoria, extending from the NSW border across the Upper Murray River system to the headwaters of the Kiewa River system and just to the upper, south-eastern portion of the Ovens River system, including the Snowy River system and headwaters of the Tambo River in southern, coastal Victoria. It is predominantly a high elevation species, found in mountain streams over 600 m in elevation (Morgan 1997, McCormack 2012).

Habitat

The crays are usually found in cool, clear and flowing large and small rivers and streams above 600 m in elevation, some of which are covered by snow during the winter. Found in areas dominated by dry sclerophyll and heath dominated vegetation (Morgan 1997), in state forest and conservation reserves (van Praagh 2003).

Genetic Risk Index

This table contains information on the genetic health of Alpine Spiny Crayfish, informed by recent work conducted by Monash University and cesar Pty Ltd (Kriesner et al. 2019; Kriesner and Weeks 2020). The project undertook genetic risk assessments of ~1,100 species of flora and fauna found in Victoria and generated a large database of available genetic and demographic data for these species. A framework was developed for combining these parameters into a Genetic Risk Index that classified species broadly into ‘Low’, ‘Moderate’, ‘High’, ‘Very High’ and ‘Uncertain’ risk categories. The Genetic Risk Index will continue to undergo refinement and validation to provide further insight into the genetic health of species in Victoria.

Total Australian population size Greater than 10,000 individuals
Australian distribution Population is roughly shared between Victoria and a neighbouring state
Dispersal capacity Low: ~1km
Reproductive mode Sexual: species reproduces sexually via male and female gametes
Average generation time One generation every 11 - 20 years
Victorian population trend since ~1975 Population has moderately decreased
Inbreeding evidence Not assessed
Genetic diversity Not assessed
Genetic rescue potential Uncertain
Genetic Risk Index High


Species maps

Habitat Distribution Model

The Habitat Distribution Model (HDM) layer shows the modelled distribution of habitat for Alpine Spiny Crayfish in Victoria. Red shading indicates areas of habitat with relatively higher suitability, compared with yellow shaded areas. HDMs are developed by combining Victorian Biodiversity Atlas (VBA) occurrence records for the species with a range of environmental variables to predict where the most suitable habitat for the species is in Victoria. Species may not always occupy areas of suitable habitat. Threatening processes (prior or ongoing) and disturbance regimes (e.g. fire, timber harvesting) may stop species from occupying otherwise suitable habitat for periods of time. Management actions often focus on currently occupied areas, however management of unoccupied areas can also be important to allow populations to re-establish.

No Habitat Distrabution Model is currently available.


Species Forecast

No Species Forecast data is available because Alpine Spiny Crayfish is not yet included in our decision-support tools.

About Species Forecast

A Species Forecast is the estimated likelihood of a species being present in 50 years time. The data for Species Forecasts is drawn from DEECA’s decision support tools, Strategic Management Prospects and Specific Needs Assessments.

Many species benefit from the management of widespread threats, such as weeds and pests, and the benefit of these landscape-scale actions to ~4,200 species is modelled in Strategic Management Prospects. In addition to landscape-scale actions, some species also need actions that improve or protect habitat at certain sites, such as nest boxes or hollow logs, or actions to improve certain populations, such as gene mixing or translocation.

As part of a continuous improvement program for our decision-support tools, we are working to expand the scope of actions modelled in Strategic Management Prospects, and to build the dataset of species benefits from location-specific and population-specific actions.

We can use this data to consider how different actions may benefit a species and examine how different types of on-ground management may contribute to a species’ recovery in 50 years, to develop a Species Forecast.


Potential actions for species recovery

No Species Forecast data is available because Alpine Spiny Crayfish is not yet included in our decision-support tools.


Species prospects in SMP

The benefit data in SMP can be used to consider what the Alpine Spiny Crayfish’s prospects are if the landscape scale management actions in SMP are implemented.

No Species Prospects figure is available becuase Alpine Spiny Crayfish is not yet included in SMP.


How to get further information and provide feedback

For more information on the decision support tools, products and underlying data used in this report, and how the data is collected and developed into products, please visit the following links:

These links include information on how to provide data and feedback into these products.

The Species Forecast Reports will be updated periodically to reflect changes and improvements in the products and tools that inform them (e.g., following updates to SMP).

As the data contained in Species Forecast Reports is drawn from multi-species datasets, it is not currently possible to incorporate species-specific information or feedback directly.

For help or further information get in touch by visiting Choosing actions for nature webpage on the DEECA website.


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