Diseases of yabbies (Cherax albidus) in Western Australia

Routine disease testing of yabbies (Cherax albidus) in Western Australia fo r over 10 years revealed only few diseases of significance to freshwater cr ayfish aquaculture. The most serious of these are the recent discoveries of an introduced microsporidian Thelohania sp. and a previously undescribed v irus that has been associated with mortalities in yabby dams but has a wide spread distribution with low prevalence (< 5%). Other parasites and ectocom mensals have been recorded from C, albidus in Western Australia including t emnocephalans, cilliates, Psorospermium sp. and the nematode Gammarinema sp . However, these appear to have little effect upon the host other than lowe ring their market value. Testing for crayfish plague (Aphnnomyces astaci) s ince 1989 has shown that this disease is not present in Western Australia. Although many farmers feed lupin seeds (Lupinus angustifolius) to crayfish in Western Australia, this practice can result in mortalities due to entero toxaemia. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.