Partenogenetic crabs of streams

2003/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Zoologia

In Germany there is a kind of parthenogenetic crab. It is a crustacean native of the American family Cambaridae, although it is to confirm the species to which it belongs. The first crab female named Marmorkrebs appeared in Germany in 1990.

At first, scientists thought it was an animal that did not breed in Germany. At the Humboldt University in Berlin they have assured that it can be multiplied without males alike.

Although some crustaceans were already known, they had never been seen in crabs, buoys or lobsters. According to scientists, this animal is very useful for crops, especially for the study of the state and evolution of the embryo.