Broad River Spiny Crayfish

Scientific Name: Cambarus P picatus

Classification: Special Concern

Abundance

Description

National Range: “Little River in Fairfield and Richland counties, South Carolina” (Hobbs Jr. 1989) Also, Broad River Basin in North Carolina

NC Physiographic Region(s): Atlantic slope side of mountains

River Basin(s): Broad (N. Pacolet and First Broad subdrainages)

Adult Habitat: “streams” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “found in streams of small to medium size with trapped leaf litter” (NHP ICAS 1999);"debris along the margins of the stream" (Clamp 1999)

Reproductive Season: extended?

Species associates: C. (P.) sp C, C. (C.) lenati, C. sp. cf. howardi

Conservation status: state-listed as Special Concern in North Carolina (J.E. Cooper in Clamp 1999);considered by Taylor et al. (1996) to be Threatened

Identification references: Hobbs Jr. 1989; also see description written by J.E. Cooper in Clamp 1999

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: n/a
coloration: gray-green with cream, pink, purple, and brown highlights;chelae green with orange fingertips
spines: very strong cervical spines; hepatic, cephalic, branchiostegal,and marginal spines present
rostrum: long and narrow with straight margins; prominent marginal spines
areola: medium-wide and punctate
chelae: possessing double row of tubercles on mesial margin of palm; well-developed dorsolongitudinal ridges on fingers
other characteristics: well-developed eyes; acute suborbital angle or nearly so
form I male gonopod: corneous central projection directed caudally at about 90 degrees, narrow and slightly longer than mesial process and bearing subapical notch; mesial process inflated at base and tapering distally to rounded point at apex

Regulations

According to NC General Statue and NCWRC Regulation, it is unlawful to stock any fish (including shellfish and crustaceans) into public waters without a WRC permit. It is also unlawful to transport, purchase, possess, or sell any live individuals of virile crayfish (Orconectes (Gremicambarus) virilis), rusty crayfish (Orconectes (Procericambarus) rusticus), Australian “red claw” crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) or other species of “giant” crayfish species.

Crayfish Glossary Crayfish References

Illustrations

Illustrations are reproduced with the permission of the Smithsonian Institution Press. We are grateful to them for allowing us to provide this useful information with the other materials provided herein. We also wish to recognize the tremendous contribution to crayfish biology by the author/artist, the late Horton H. Hobbs Jr.

The following illustration is reproduced from:
Hobbs Jr., H. H. 1989. An illustrated checklist of the American crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, Number 480:1-236.