Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as Procambarus clarkii, are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus.
The Parastacidae are the family of freshwater crayfish found in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with extant members in South America, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea, and extinct taxa also in Antarctica.
Cherax, commonly known as yabby/yabbies in Australia, is the most widespread genus of fully aquatic crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Various species of cherax may be found in both still and flowing bodies of freshwater across most of Australia and New Guinea. Together with Euastacus, it is also the largest crayfish genus in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish, also called Tasmanian giant freshwater lobster, is the largest freshwater invertebrate and the largest freshwater crayfish species in the world. The species is only found in the rivers below 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level in northern Tasmania, an island-state of Australia. It is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List due to overfishing and habitat degradation, and it has been prohibited to catch the crayfish since 1998.
The Murray crayfish, Euastacus armatus, is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Australia that belongs to the family Parastacidae. The Murray crayfish has the largest geographic range of any of the Euastacus crayfish in Australia, being found in the Murray and Murrumbidgee Rivers as well as many of their tributaries. Murray crayfish are also known as "Murray River crayfish", "Murray crays", "freshwater crays", "spiny freshwater crays", "spinies" and in the Wagga Wagga region of southern New South Wales they are simply known as "lobsters".
Euastacus is a genus of freshwater crayfish known as "spiny crayfish". They are found in the south-east of the Australian mainland, along with another genus of crayfish, Cherax. Both genera are members of the family Parastacidae, a family of freshwater crayfish restricted to the Southern Hemisphere.
Euastacus crassus is a species of southern crayfish in the family Parastacidae. It is commonly known as the Alpine spiny crayfish.
Euastacus setosus is a species of southern crawfish in the family Parastacidae.
Charles Gould was the first geological surveyor of Tasmania 1859–69.
Porphyrosela dismochrysa is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the Australian states of New South Wales and South Australia.
Dendrophthoe glabrescens, commonly known as smooth mistletoe or orange mistletoe, is a hemiparasitic plant of the mistletoe family Loranthaceae, found in eastern and northern Australia. It flowers from October to January. The flowers are tubular, with a green base, but where the tube splits open, it displays orange and bright red.
The eastern swamp crayfish is a species of small freshwater crayfish from coastal New South Wales, Australia. It is distinguished from related species by large genital papilla on the males, large raised postorbital ridges, a laterally compressed carapace, and elongated chelae.
Astacopsis is a genus of crayfish endemic to the island of Tasmania. There are three extant species, Astacopsis gouldi, Astacopsis franklinii, and Astacopsis tricornis. All are threatened by illegal harvesting, and A. gouldi is protected by law. A. franklinii is found in the eastern half of the island, with A. tricornis taking its place in the west. A. gouldi is found only in rivers draining into the Bass Strait, except for the Tamar River.
Austmusia is a genus of Australian intertidal spiders first described by Michael R. Gray in 1983. As of April 2019 it contains only three species.
Ellen Clark (1915–1988) was an Australian carcinologist and naturalist, whose work focused on crustaceans and ants Clark studied, named, described and published many of the Australian freshwater crayfish species. By 1939, she was reported to have identified more than half the known species of Australian crayfish. She conducted research about blood groups in crustaceans and made a significant contribution to the study of crayfish genera. She was the first woman to publish in the Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria.
Atomotricha is a genus of moths of the family Oecophoridae. The species in this genus are endemic to New Zealand.
Cherax preissii, the common koonac, is a Western Australian freshwater crustacean in the Parastacidae family.
Euastacus dalagarbe is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Australia that belongs to the family Parastacidae. It has a small range in New South Wales and is regarded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as "critically endangered".
Euastacus bidawalus, the East Gippsland spiny crayfish, is an Australian freshwater crayfish endemic to the East Gippsland area of Victoria and the far south coast of New South Wales.
Euastacus yanga, also known as the variable spiny cray, is a freshwater crayfish endemic to south eastern Australia.
