Common yabby

2020-08-26T11:09:29Z

175.36.128.37: /* Dissemination */

{{short description|Species of crayfish}}
{{Redirect|Cherax destructor|the Australian music producer|Cherax Destructor}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2011}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2011}}
{{Taxobox
| name = Common yabby
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN2.3
| image = Cherax_destructor_(Cyan_yabby).jpg
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Arthropod]]a
| subphylum = [[Crustacean|Crustacea]]
| classis = [[Malacostraca]]
| ordo = [[Decapoda]]
| superfamilia = [[Crayfish|Parastacoidea]]
| familia = [[Parastacidae]]
| genus = ''[[Cherax]]''
| species = '''''C. destructor'''''
| binomial = ''Cherax destructor''
| binomial_authority = (Clark, 1936)<ref name="IUCN">{{Cite journal | author = Crandall, K.A. | title = ''Cherax destructor'' | journal = [[The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]] | volume = 1996 | page = e.T4622A11042150 | publisher = [[IUCN]] | date = 1996 | doi = 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T4622A11042150.en }} Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1de v2.3).</ref>
}}

The '''common yabby''' (''Cherax destructor'') is an [[Australia]]n freshwater [[crustacean]] in the [[Parastacidae]] [[family (biology)|family]]. It is listed as a [[vulnerable species]]<ref name="IUCN"/>. Listed as Vulnerable (VU A1de v2.3). of [[crayfish]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN), though wild yabby populations remain strong, and have expanded into new habitats created by reservoirs and farm dams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nativefish.asn.au/home/page/Yabby |title=Yabby |publisher=Native Fish Australia |access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}

Other names frequently used for ''Cherax destructor'' include the '''blue yabby''' or '''cyan yabby'''. Its [[common name]] of "[[Freshwater yabby|yabby]]" is also applied to many other Australian ''[[Cherax]]'' species of crustacean (as well as to marine ghost shrimp of the infraorder [[Thalassinidea]]).

Yabbies occasionally reach up to {{convert|30|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} in length, but are more commonly {{convert|10|–|20|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.canadiancrayfish.ca/destructor.htm |title=''Cherax destructor'' |author=Craig Williams |access-date=7 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061201153142/http://www.canadiancrayfish.ca/destructor.htm |archive-date=1 December 2006 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Colour is highly variable and depends on water clarity and habitat; yabbies can range from black, blue-black, or dark brown in clear waters to light brown, green-brown, or beige in turbid waters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://members.fortunecity.com/chrisgoerner/cherax.destructor.html |title=''Cherax destructor'' |author=Chris Goerner |access-date=7 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429110237/http://members.fortunecity.com/chrisgoerner/cherax.destructor.html |archive-date=29 April 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> Yabbies specifically bred to be a vibrant blue colour are now popular in the aquarium trade in Australia.

An Australian yabby can travel up to {{convert|60|km}} across land in search of new waters to make its home.{{cn|date=January 2020}}

The word "yabby" comes from the [[Wemba Wemba language|Wemba Wemba]], an [[Aboriginal Australian language]].<ref>''[[Oxford Dictionary of English]]'', p 2,054.</ref>

==Dissemination==
Yabbys are common in [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[New South Wales]], although the species also occurs in southern [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]], throughout parts of the [[Northern Territory]] and even as low as [[Tasmania]], making it the most widespread Australian crayfish.<ref name="Whitall">{{cite web |title=Biology of Yabbys (''Cherax destructor'') |author=Fiona Withnall |date=2000 |url=http://www.growfish.com.au/Grow/Files/fn082.pdf |access-date=9 July 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050620181526/http://www.growfish.com.au/Grow/Files/fn082.pdf |archive-date=20 June 2005 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref> It has been introduced to [[Western Australia]], where it is an [[invasive species]] and poses a threat to other ''[[Cherax]]'' crayfish species native to the region, such as gilgies (''[[Cherax quinquecarinatus]]'').<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10750-005-5443-0 |title=Role of Life History Strategy in the Colonisation of Western Australian Aquatic Systems by the Introduced Crayfish ''Cherax destructor'' Clark, 1936 |journal=[[Hydrobiologia]] |volume=549 |issue=1 |pages=219–237 |year=2005 |author=Beatty, S. |author2=D. Morgan |author3=H. Gill |last-author-amp=yes }}</ref>

Yabbys are found in swamps, streams, rivers, reservoirs, and farm dams at low to medium elevations. Yabbys apparently were largely restricted to lower-altitude habitats in inland areas of south-eastern Australia including the [[Murray-Darling Basin]] before European settlement, with the ''[[Euastacus]]'' spiny crayfish species found in higher-altitude habitats and the coastal river systems. High-altitude yabby populations in Lakes [[Lake Eucumbene|Eucumbene]] and [[Lake Jindabyne|Jindabyne]], on the upper reaches of the coastal [[Snowy River]] system, are unusual and may be translocated.

Yabbys are found in many ephemeral waterways, and can survive dry conditions for several years by [[aestivate|lying dormant]] in burrows sunk deep into muddy creek and swamp beds. {{citation needed|date=November 2016}}

Yabbys are primarily [[Nocturnal animal|nocturnal]] [[detritivore]]s, feeding primarily on algae and plant remains at night, but also opportunistically feeding on any fish or animal remains they encounter at any time of day.

In Southern Australia, it is commonly accepted that yabbys are active and thereby available to catch during the warmer months. (Colloquially, any month with the letter "R" in it.) When temperatures fall below {{convert|16|C|F}}, they enter a state of reduced metabolic activity, or "partial hibernation".<ref name="Whitall"/>

Yabbys are an important dietary item for Australian native freshwater fish such as [[Murray cod]] and [[golden perch]].

==Catching==
Catching yabbies, or "yabbying", in rivers and farm dams is a popular summertime activity in Australia, particularly with children. The most popular method involves tying a piece of meat to a few metres of string or fishing line, which in turn is fastened to a stick in the bank, and throwing the meat into the water. The string is pulled tight when a determined yabby grasps the meat in its claws and tries to make off with it. The line is then slowly pulled back to the bank, with the grasping yabby usually maintaining its hold on the meat. When the meat and the grasping yabby reaches the water's edge, a net is used to quickly scoop up both the meat and the grasping yabby in one movement.

Other methods of catching yabbies involve various types of nets and traps. Local fishing regulations must be checked before using any nets and traps for yabbies; many types of nets and traps are banned, as wildlife such as [[platypus]], water rats, and long-necked turtles can become trapped in them and drown.

==Aquaculture==
[[File:Cherax destructor female eggs CSIRO.jpg|thumb|Week-old yabby eggs, 2-3 mm, attached by minute hairs to underside of female abdomen, [[CSIRO]]]]
The common yabby is a popular species for [[aquaculture]],<ref name="Whitall"/> although their burrowing can destroy [[dam]]s.

Yabbies can also be found in private property dams where permission to fish must first be obtained. Bag limits apply to yabbies in most states. For example, in South Australia <ref name="Sardi">{{cite web |url=http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/fisheries/recreational_fishing/target_species/yabbie|title=PIRSA Fisheries - Yabbie|date=30 November 2016}}</ref> it is illegal to catch over 200 yabbies a day. All females carrying eggs under their tails must be returned to the water.

==Yabbies as food==
{{Original research section|date=August 2017}}

While less common than [[Dendrobranchiata|prawns]] and other [[crustacean]]s, yabbies are eaten in Australia much like [[crayfish]] in other countries. Usually, yabbies are boiled and eaten plain, or with condiments. They are also occasionally served at restaurants, where they may be prepared in [[salads]], [[ravioli]], [[pasta]], etc. Prior to cooking, it is advisable to 'purge' the yabby in clean salt water, this helps to clear the gut of any muddy flavour, resulting in sweeter tasting meat.

In New South Wales, yabbies can be sold live at some fish markets such as [[Sydney Fish Market]]. In Victoria, whole yabbies can be purchased cooked and ready to eat at [[Queen Victoria Market]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2711833}}

[[Category:Crustaceans described in 1936]]
[[Category:Freshwater crustaceans of Australia]]
[[Category:Parastacidae]]
[[Category:Vulnerable fauna of Australia]]

Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Common yabby