Valley River Crayfish
Scientific Name: Cambarus P. brimleyorum
Classification: Nongame Fish - Crustacean
Glossary
References
Abundance
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Detailed Information
National Range: Known only from Cherokee and Clay counties, North Carolina (Cooper 2006)
NC Physiographic Region(s): Southwestern Blue Ridge Mountains
River Basin(s): Hiwassee
Adult Habitat: Small to medium-sized streams with cobble-dominated substrata (Simmons and Fraley 2008)
Reproductive Season: late spring to fall
Species associates: C. (C.) bartonii, C. (P.) parrishi, C. (P.) hiwasseensis
Conservation status: not protected
Identification references: Cooper 2006
Taxonomic Description:
- body shape: subcylindrical
- coloration:
- spines: branchiostegal spine small, often reduced to tubercle;cervical spine absent; cephalic spine or tubercle present
rostrum: lacking marginal tubercles, spines, and median carina; margins slightly thickened, subparallel, or moderately converging from base to base of acumen, then strongly converging to blunt, upturned apical tubercle; floor of rostrum subplane - areola: usually with 7 or 8 large punctuations across narrowest part
- chelae: 2 rows of adpressed tubercles on mesial margin of palm, 2nd row with weaker tubercles; lacks rows of prominent tubercles on the mesial surface of dactyl
- other characteristics: large eye;suborbital angle usually obtuse to obsolete
- form I male gonopod: both terminal elements short; central projection corneous, not tapered, curved slightly over 90° from axis of shaft, directed caudally not extended quite as far as mesial process; subapical notch shallow; mesial process inflated, directed caudally, strongly tapering to spiniform tip
Notes: At some sites, C.brimleyorum is syntopic with either C.hiwasseensis or C. parrishi (Cooper 2006)
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.
Illustrations
The following illustration is reproduced from:
Cooper, J.E. 2006. A new crayfish of the genus Cambarus Erichson, 1846, subgenus Puncticambarus Hobbs, 1969 (Decapoda: Cambaridae), from the Hiwassee River basin of North Carolina. Proceedings of the Biologial Society of Washington, 119(1): 81-90.
