Noble crayfish
Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758)
VUVulnerablecrabs and lobsters
The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) is a crustacean in the family Astacidae, placed in the animal subgroup crabs and lobsters. It belongs to the order Decapoda, suborder Pleocyemata and superfamily Astacoidea, within the class Malacostraca and phylum Arthropoda.
Quick facts about the noble crayfish
The IUCN Red List assesses the noble crayfish globally as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category. Other English names for the species are river crayfish, European crayfish, red-clawed crayfish, red-footed crayfish and broad-clawed crayfish.
- Weight
- Not recorded
- Length
- up to 16 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- freshwater, riverinesrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the noble crayfish
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the noble crayfish live?
Not recorded
What is the noble crayfish?
Astacus astacus, the European crayfish, noble crayfish, or broad-fingered crayfish, is the most common species of crayfish in Europe, and a traditional food source. Like other true crayfish, A. astacus is restricted to fresh water, living only in unpolluted streams, rivers, and lakes. It is found from France throughout Central Europe, to the Balkan Peninsula, and north as far as Scandinavia and Finland, and Eastern Europe. Males may grow up to 16 cm (6 in) long, and females up to 12 centimetres (5 inches).
From the Wikipedia article “Astacus astacus” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Astacus_astacus&oldid=1366823488), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the noble crayfish endangered?
The noble crayfish is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the noble crayfish classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumArthropoda
- classMalacostraca
- orderDecapoda
- familyAstacidae
- genusAstacus
- SpeciesAstacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Cancer astacus, Potamobius astacus
Other names and names in other languages (50)
- Broad-clawed crayfishEnglish
- Broad-clawed crayfishEnglish
- Broad-fingered crayfishEnglish
- Broad-fingered crayfishEnglish
- European crayfishEnglish
- European crayfishEnglish
- Red-clawed crayfishEnglish
- Red-clawed crayfishEnglish
- Red-footed crayfishEnglish
- Red-footed crayfishEnglish
- River crayfishEnglish
- River crayfishEnglish
- Рак шыракапальцыBelarusian
- Речен ракBulgarian
- rak říčníCzech
- FlodkrebsDanish
- EdelkrebsGerman
- Europäischer FlusskrebsGerman
- FlusskrebsGerman
- Ποτάμια καραβίδαGreek
- Ποταμίσια ΚαραβίδαGreek
- Αστακός ο αστακόςGreek
- Αστακός ο ποτάμιοςGreek
- Cangrejo nobleSpanish
- JõevähkEstonian
- jokirapuFinnish
- Écrevisse NobleFrench
- Écrevisse á Pattes RougesFrench
- Écrevisse à pattes rougesFrench
- écrevisse à pieds rougesFrench
- Écrevisse de rivièreFrench
- Écrevisse FluviatileFrench
- Riječni rakCroatian
- folyami rákHungarian
- Gambero d'acqua dolceItalian
- Gambero dai Piedi RossiItalian
- Gambero di fiume europeoItalian
- ヨーロッパザリガニJapanese
- Plačiažnyplis vėžysLithuanian
- edelkrepsNorwegian Bokmål
- Europese rivierkreeftDutch
- Rak szlachetnyPolish
- Rac de râuRomanian
- РакRussian
- Широкопалый ракRussian
- Широкопалый речной ракRussian
- rak riečnySlovak
- jelševecSlovenian
- flodkräftaSwedish
- Рак широкопалийUkrainian
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the noble crayfish
Other species in the same genus Astacus.
Colchic crayfish
Astacus colchicus
CompareNoble crayfish vs Astacus balcanicusNoble crayfish vs Colchic crayfish
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the noble crayfish?
The noble crayfish is a crustacean in the family Astacidae, grouped with crabs and lobsters. It belongs to the order Decapoda.
What is the scientific name of the noble crayfish?
The scientific name of the noble crayfish is Astacus astacus, in the genus Astacus.
Who named the noble crayfish and when?
The species name Astacus astacus carries the authority (Linnaeus, 1758).
Is the noble crayfish endangered?
The noble crayfish is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is a threatened category.
Is the noble crayfish extinct?
No, the noble crayfish is a living species according to the Catalogue of Life.
What are other names for the noble crayfish?
The noble crayfish is also called river crayfish, European crayfish, red-clawed crayfish, red-footed crayfish and broad-clawed crayfish.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/noble-crayfish
“Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/noble-crayfish.
@misc{noble_crayfish_2026,
title = {Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/noble-crayfish},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}