Cambarus is a large and diverse genus of crayfish from the United States and Canada. The adults range in size from about 5 cm (2.0 in) up to approximately 15 cm (5.9 in).
The Cambaridae are the largest of the four families of freshwater crayfish, with over 400 species. Most of the species in the family are native the United States east of the Great Divide and Mexico, but fewer range north to Canada, and south to Guatemala and Honduras. Three live on the island of Cuba. The species in the genus Cambaroides are the only found outside North America, as they are restricted to eastern Asia.
The Everglades crayfish, sometimes called the Florida crayfish, the blue crayfish, the electric blue crayfish, or the sapphire crayfish, is a species of freshwater crayfish endemic to Florida in the United States. Its natural range is the area east of St. Johns River and all of Florida from Levy County and Marion County southwards, as well as on some of the Florida Keys. It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern. The blue crayfish is frequently kept in a freshwater aquaria. In the wild, this species varies from brown-tan to blue, but an aquarium strain has been selectively bred to achieve a brilliant cobalt blue color.
Cambarellus is a genus of small freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae. The 19 species are found in Mexico and the Gulf States of the United States. Among the Mexican species, C. areolatus, C. patzcuarensis, and C. prolixus are considered seriously threatened by the IUCN, and C. alvarezi is already extinct. C. chihuahuae was also believed to be extinct until rediscovered in 2012. C. alvarezi and four undescribed, extinct Cambarellus species were restricted to desert spring systems in southwestern Nuevo León; each one shared its habitat with a Cyprinodon pupfish.
Cambarus pristinus, the pristine crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to Tennessee.
Cambarus subterraneus, the Delaware County cave crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It has been found only in three caves in Delaware County, Oklahoma.
Cambarus tartarus, the Oklahoma cave crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to two caves in Delaware County, Oklahoma in the United States.
Cambarus truncatus, the Oconee burrowing crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in North America.
Procambarus milleri, the Miami cave crayfish is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to Florida, where it is known from 14–15 sites in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
Walter Faxon was an American ornithologist and carcinologist. He was born at Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, where he grew up. He received three degrees from Harvard University. One of his greater ornithological achievements was demonstration that Brewster's warbler is a hybrid.
Procambarus digueti is a species of fresh water crayfish in the genus Procambarus and in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to tropical regions in the Pacific Coast of Mexico. It lives in shallow lakes where oxygen is plentiful and are the only decapod species in Mexico to live in waters 1,800 meters above sea level. P. digueti is believed to be one of the oldest species of Mexican crayfish due to its unusually low genetic variability between organisms and geographical evidence. It has experienced a greater amount of habitat loss than other crayfish species have in Mexico, leading to a decline in its populations and the IUCN Red List to deem it as an endangered species.
Faxonius maletae, sometimes called the Kisatchie painted crayfish or Kisatchie painted crawfish, is a species of crawdad in the Cambaridae family. The specific epithet maletae is in honor of the discoverer's wife, author Maleta M. Walls, who helped collect many of the original specimens. It was originally described as a subspecies of Orconectes difficilis, but later elevated to full species status. The common name refers to the Kisatchie National Forest, near where the original specimens were found in Bayou Santabarb.
Procambarus acutus, the white river crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in North America and Europe.
Faxonius is a genus of freshwater crayfish in the family Cambaridae. There are more than 90 described species in Faxonius. It includes the rusty crayfish, an invasive species in North America, and three species, F. virilis, F. immunis, and F. limosus, that are invasive to Europe.
Lacunicambarus is a genus of burrowing crayfishes in the family Cambaridae. There are currently 12 described species in Lacunicambarus, all of which are found east of the Continental Divide in North America. The genus was first recognized in 2018 when it was discovered through genetic analyses that the Cambarus subgenera Lacunicambarus and Tubericambarus were not monophyletic on their own, but that when combined they formed a single monophyletic group distinct from Cambarus. A 2022 study used anchored hybrid enrichment to resolve the Lacunicambarus phylogeny, which elucidated interspecific relationships and highlighted remaining undescribed diversity within the genus.
Creaserinus is a genus of Digger Crayfish in the family Cambaridae. There are about 15 described species in Creaserinus, found in North America.
Cambarus acuminatus, the acuminate crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is found in eastern North America.
Cambarus monongalensis, the blue crayfish or Monongahela crayfish, is a species of burrowing crayfish native to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It has also been found recently in Ohio. The common name refers to the Monongahela River, with the first specimens being collected from Edgewood Park, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern.
Cambarus speleocoopi, the Sweet Home Alabama cave crayfish, is a small, freshwater crayfish endemic to Marshall County, Alabama in the United States. It is an underground species known only from 4 caves.
