Abstract/Summary

Austropotamobius italicus (Faxon) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Astacidae) is an endangered species inhabiting southern Europe streams, with a diet of algae and small invertebrates from pristine waters. In a pilot study using two submerged pig- carcasses, exposed to two different environments of the river Manzanares in central Spain (Madrid Province), a lotic and a lentic corner of the river, we documented the “white-clawed crayfish” A. italics, continuously scavenging the carcass located in a shadowed and lentic site of the river. A. italicus was feeding in all decomposition stages. This new observation adds information of the feeding habits of this protected species and provides a new potential marker of carcass or corpse decomposition in lentic environments to the incomplete list of freshwater arthropod scavengers known to Europe.