While sampling for the Rusty Gravedigger, Lacunicambarus miltus, Taylor et al. (2011) found one or more potentially undescribed burrowing crayfish species in the genus Lacunicambarus inhabiting the area between the Pascagoula River and Mobile Bay in southern Alabama and Mississippi. Molecular analyses by Glon et al.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of color photographs in crayfish species descriptions, state faunal books and popular articles is relatively recent. Except for verbal color descriptions, color and color patterns have not often been explored by crayfish researchers. Carotenoids and carotenoproteins are responsible for much of the color found in the integument and exoskeleton of crayfishes and other crustaceans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCambarellus (Pandicambarus) rotatus, new species, is a dwarf crayfish from floodplain swamps in the Tombigbee and Black Warrior river drainages of Greene, Hale, and Marengo counties, Alabama. The new species is morphologically most similar to Cambarellus (Pandicambarus) lesliei. They differ in a several morphological characters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCambarus (Depressicambarus) clairitae, new species, is an epigean crayfish from two drainages of the Locust Fork system in Blount and Jefferson counties, Alabama. It belongs to the halli Group in the subgenus Depressicambarus. The new species is morphologically most similar to Cambarus (Depressicambarus) englishi.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe crayfish subgenus Procericambarus (genus Orconectes) found in the Eastern Highlands of the United States represents a rich assemblage of stream-dwelling macroinvertebrates. While the taxonomic status and distribution of its members were clarified in a previous study, newly diagnosed characters and newly collected specimens warranted a revision to previous hypotheses of Procericambarus membership in the southeastern United States. Using morphological characters, we describe herein a new species of crayfish occurring in the Tennessee River drainage of northern Alabama and southwestern Tennessee.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProcambarus (Girardiella) holifieldi, new species, is a primary burrowing crayfish from a low-lying field in Perry County, Alabama. It belongs to the Hagenianus Group in the subgenus Girardiella. The new species is morphologically most similar to Procambarus (Girardiella) barbiger.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhilos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci
February 2015
Rates of biodiversity loss are higher in freshwater ecosystems than in most terrestrial or marine ecosystems, making freshwater conservation a priority. However, prioritization methods are impeded by insufficient knowledge on the distribution and conservation status of freshwater taxa, particularly invertebrates. We evaluated the extinction risk of the world's 590 freshwater crayfish species using the IUCN Categories and Criteria and found 32% of all species are threatened with extinction.
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