Contact
Patrik Bohman, Environmental Assessment Analyst
Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Freshwater Research, SLU
patrik.bohman@slu.se, +46 10 478 42 17
Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)
Last changed: 16 April 2025
Like the noble crayfish, the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) lives in shallow waters in the littoral zone of lakes, ponds, and smaller watercourses.
The signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) prefers steep shorelines where it digs deep burrows or areas with plenty of roots, stones, or other hiding places. It is nocturnal and almost omnivorous, eating insect larvae, mussels, snails, fish eggs, and shoots of various aquatic plants. A signal crayfish can live between 5 and 20 years. Specimens up to 20 centimeters long have been caught.
Read more about the signal crayfish on the SLUSLU Species Information Centre website (in Swedish)