Virile/Northern Crayfish

National Range: “From Saskatchewan to Ontario, Canada, and from Montana and Utah to Arkansas, New York, and Maine.  Introduced into California, Maryland, parts of New England, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, West Virginia, Utah, New York, Chihuahua, Mexico, and Pennsylvania” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “…we also have collections from the Nolichucky and French Broad River systems in Hamblen, Greene, and Cocke counties [TN]….” (Williams and Bivens 1996)

NC Physiographic Region(s): upper western piedmont

River Basin(s): Catawba (see Cooper et al. 1998 for exact localities)

Adult Habitat: “lentic and lotic situations” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “small streams to large rivers and reservoirs” (Williams and Bivens 1996); “inhabits small creeks to large rivers and impoundments; found in both pool and riffle situations under rocks and in leaf litter of fluvial waters” (Bouchard 1974).

Reproductive Season: n/a

Species associates: C. sp. C (in North Carolina)

Conservation status:  Nonindigenous (non-native) Species in North Carolina

Identification references:  Hobbs Jr. 1989, Jezerinac et al. 1995

Taxonomic Description:

• body shape: slightly dorsoventrally compressed but fairly wide
• coloration:  various shades of brown or reddish-brown with dark highlights; chelae green; tubercles cream or yellow; underside cream
• spines: cervical, cephalic, marginal spines present; lacking or reduced branchiostegal spines
• rostrum: straight margins, not thickened
• areola: fairly narrow, having approx. 1-2 punctations across narrowest part
• chelae: smooth, robust/long; bearing 2 rows well-developed tubercles along mesial margin of palm; well-developed dorsolongitudinal ridges on fingers; elonated plumose setae at base of fixed finger;
• other characteristics: obsolete suborbital angle; interrupted cervical groove; eyes somewhat small
• form I male gonopod: terminal elements long, curving at approx. 30 degrees to main shaft; central projection corneous; mesial process truncated and non-corneous; cephalic base of central projection without shoulder

Notes:  likely a bait-bucket introduction into a reservoir; known to be aggressive and drive out indigenous species in upper Midwestern U.S.