Sensitivity of juvenile freshwater crayfish Cherax destructor (Decapoda: Parastacidae) to trace metals

Juvenile Cherax destructor was investigated as a potential test species for toxicity testing of trace metals in Australian freshwater systems. Adult male and female C destructor were bred in the laboratory to obtain 4-week old juveniles, which were used in the toxicity tests. Animals were exposed to a range of concentrations of the trace metals ions copper (377-1275 mu g/L), cadmium (377-1275 mu g/L), nickel (300-1013 mg/L) and iron (36-168 mg/L) in static-renewal 96-h bioassays. The 96-h LC50 value for cadmium was 379, 494 mu g/L for copper, 50 mg/L for iron and 327 mg/L for nickel demonstrating a decreasing toxicity of these metals to C destructor. Comparison of LC50 values for metals for this species with those for other aquatic organisms reveals that C destructor is less sensitive to trace metals than most other tested species.