A review knowledge of Chilean crayfishes (Decapoda: Parastacidae)
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The Chilean crayfishes belong to the family Parastacidae and include the genera Parastacus (P. pugnax and P. nicoletti), Samastacus (S. spinifrons), and Virilastacus (V. araucanius, V. jarai, V. retamali, and V. rucapihuelensis). This family is distributed from central Chile to south-central Chile (33–46°S), particularly P. pugnax and S. spinifrons, whereas the other species are restricted to the region between 38–40°S. The Parastacidae family is restricted to southern Chile and southern Brazil in subtropical latitudes.
All species of Parastacus and Virilastacus inhabit flooded plains and construct underground galleries, whereas S. spinifrons inhabits rivers. These species are endemic and endangered because of habitat reduction and human exploitation for food in rural areas. Ecological observations indicate that these species feed mainly on plant material, while their primary predators are aquatic birds. No parasites have been reported, although the presence of ectocommensals such as peritrich ciliates and temnocephalids has been documented.
Among the reported species, only P. pugnax and S. spinifrons are considered important as human food sources in rural areas. However, there are currently no regulations governing their extraction, although initial studies on their aquaculture have been conducted in southern Chile.
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