The endangered white-clawed crayfish Austropotamobius pallipes (Decapoda, Astacidae) east and west of the Maritime Alps: a result of human translocation?

The genetic variability among Italian populations of the white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) was examined to determine their phylogeography and to assess their conservation status as a management unit. A fragment of the mitochondrial DNA COI gene of 107 specimens from ten populations was sequenced, and the phylogenetic relationships were established. Two out of three haplotypes sampled in two French populations from the Rhone basin were shared with Italian populations. Despite a moderate level of genetic variability within the Italian populations of A. pallipes, no genetic structure was revealed. It has been suggested that there have been translocation events throughout the Alpine barrier between the North-Western Italian basins and the Rhone basin. Genetic exchangeability of the French and Italian populations was demonstrated in this study, and a shift of conservation efforts towards the native, congeneric Austropotamobius italicus is recommended.