Spinytail Crayfish

National Range: “Tennessee basin in Alabama, southwestern Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia; Coosa Basin from its headwaters in Georgia to Chilton County, Alabama, and in headwaters of the Black Warrior River in Blount and Tuscaloosa counties, Alabama; Chattahoochee Basin from Walton and De Kalb counties, Georgia, to Russell County, Alabama; and in the upper Ocmulgee Basin in Georgia”(Hobbs Jr. 1989); “BlueRidge and Ridge and Valley provinces (southern portion of these two provinces), Tennessee” (Williams and Bivens 1996).

NC Physiographic Region(s): southwestern mountains

River Basin(s): Hiwassee (Nottely subdrainage)

Adult Habitat: “burrows and streams” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “primary burrower” (Williams and Bivens 1996); “primary burrower; [females and young] can be found in many places where water table is near the surface; pools and small creeks”(NHP ICAS 1999)

Reproductive Season: spring to summer

Species associates: no other species collected with this one

Conservation status: placed on North Carolina Watch List (W.F. Adams and J.E. Cooper in Clamp 1999);considered by Taylor et al. (1996) to be Currently Stable throughout its range

Identification references: Hobbs 1981

Taxonomic Description:

• body shape: n/a
• coloration: darkreddish-brown fading ventrally to pale bluish cream; or grey-brown with pale to bright orange on chelae and sides of carapace
• spines: lacking
• rostrum: broad, fairly long; converging margins
• areola: narrow; no more than 2 punctations across narrowest part
• chelae: palm with several rows oftubercles
• other characteristics: acute suborbital angle; eyes well developed
• form I male gonopod: short, nontapering, distally rounded central projection and slender mesial process; both directed caudally at an angle slightly greater than 90°