HOUSTON — Marbled crayfish are quickly spreading in other places and are also known to carry crayfish plague.
The all-female pet reproduces without males by cloning, meaning a single crayfish can be the start of an entire invasive population.
Crayfish plague is an infectious disease known to cause the decline and even the extinction of some European and Asian crayfish, according to the National Library of Medicine.
So far, the species has not been reported in the wild in Texas but it can wreak havoc.
However, Texas Parks and Wildlife officials ask Texans not to release the aquarium pets into the wild.
According to the Invasive Species Centre, marbled crayfish originated in the German pet trade industry in 1950. They were sought by aquarists for their marbled pattern and were sold in North America in 2004.
A single female can produce hundreds of cloned offspring, meaning just one crayfish can create entirely new populations that outcompete native species, the centre said.
TPW officials said to never dump the crayfish, from both freshwater and saltwater aquariums, into a natural body of water or flush them down the toilet.
They ask that you either find a new home for the crayfish, sell or trade it to someone with an aquarium, or humanely euthanize them.