The parthenogenetic marbled crayfish, Marmorkrebs, has no known wild population, but has been introduced into natural ecosystems
in two continents. Interactions with native crayfish, particularly through fighting, could affect the ecological impact of
Marmorkrebs introductions. Marmorkrebs have been characterized anecdotally as having low levels of aggression, which could
mitigate their potential to compete with native species. We isolated Marmorkrebs and Louisiana red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), then conducted size-matched intra and interspecific pairings. Marmorkrebs were as likely to win a fight as P. clarkii, although contests between P. clarkii and Marmorkrebs began significantly faster than contests between two Marmorkrebs. These results suggest that Marmorkrebs
have the potential to compete with other species on the same level as P. clarkii, which is itself a highly successful introduced species around the world.
Keywords Aggression - Crayfish - Competition - Invasive species - Marbled crayfish - Marmorkrebs - Louisiana red swamp crayfish -
Procambarus clarkii