242 



THE LIFE OF CRUSTACEA 



the Balkan Peninsula). It is known in France as 

 " Ecrevisse a pattes blanches" (from the whitish 

 colour of the under-side of the large claws), and in 

 Germany as '* Steinkrebs," and is distinguished, 

 among other characters, by the shape of the rostrum 

 (Fig. 77, B), which has a tooth on each side close to 

 the point. Far more important as an article of food 

 is the larger Astacus fluviatilis, the *' Ecrevisse a 

 pattes rouges" or ** Edelkrebs," which is found in 



Fig. 77— Rostrum and Fore Part of Carapace, seen from 

 Above, of (A) Red-clawed Crayfish {Astacus fluviatilis) and 

 (B) White-clawed or English Crayfish {Astacus pallipes) 



France, Germany, Austria, Southern Sweden, Russia, 

 etc. In this species the under-side of the large claws 

 is generally of a fine red colour, and the rostrum 

 (Fig. yy, A) has a pair of side-teeth about the middle 

 of its length, and a long slender point. The red- 

 clawed Crayfish is an important article of commerce 

 on the Continent, and is sent to the London market 

 in considerable numbers, chiefly from Germany and 

 South- West Russia. In France it is cultivated for 

 the market in " Crayfish farms " on a large scale. 

 A species of Crayfish {A . leptodactylus) occurring in 



