Japanese crab surfaces in Lake Las Vegas

Friday, Aug. 25, 2000 | 11:31 a.m.

A species of freshwater crab never before found naturally in the United States has turned up in Lake Las Vegas.

The Japanese male crab was identified on Thursday by biology professor and freshwater crab expert Neil Cumberlidge of Northern Michigan University in Marquette.

"This is a true freshwater crab," Cumberlidge said. "As far as I know, they have never been found naturally in the United States."

So how did an Asian crab end up in a man-made lake in Southern Nevada?

Scientists suspect the crabs were dumped into the lake from an aquarium. "There is no natural way for them to get there," Cumberlidge said.

About a dozen crabs known as Geothelphusa dhaani White, the size of silver dollars, showed up in the lake's waters near the Hyatt Regency resort between March and June, Lake Las Vegas officials said. Officials are intrigued to find out if the crabs are reproducing in the lake. If that is happening, officials say they will have to monitor the lake closely to see if the crabs alter the ecology of the lake's habitat.

The lake was created at the end of the Las Vegas Wash and is separate from Lake Mead, Southern Nevada's major drinking source.

Specimens of the crabs were sent to Cumberlidge, as well as the Nevada Division of Wildlife's biologist Anita Cook in Reno and specialists in Singapore.

Other scientists have not confirmed the species yet.

Cook was on vacation and could not be reached for comment Thursday.

There is no public health threat from the Japanese crabs.

True freshwater crabs are distinct entities and 12 families live around the world.

Some crabs can live in both fresh and saltwater conditions, Cumberlidge said.

True freshwater crabs hatch directly from eggs into small hatchlings, he said. The reason no further dhaani Whites have been seen since June may be because fish stocked in the private lake ate the young.

The 320-acre man-made lake was stocked with rainbow trout for the master-planned community hosting up to 5,000 homes and six hotels 17 miles southeast of Las Vegas.

The crabs are captured and exported from all over the world for aquarium enthusiasts and for restaurants.

The type of crab found in Lake Las Vegas belongs to a widespread family that has representatives in northwest Africa, southern Europe, the Middle East, the Himalayas and southeast Asia, Cumberlidge said.

Two families of freshwater crabs are found in tropical climates in the Americas, he said, but neither one of them have been discovered in America.