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.
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).
Procambarus clarkii, known variously as the red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish or mudbug, is a species of cambarid crayfish native to freshwater bodies of northern Mexico, and southern and southeastern United States, but also introduced elsewhere, where it is often an invasive pest.
Austropotamobius pallipes is an endangered European freshwater crayfish, and the only crayfish native to the British Isles. Its common names include white-clawed crayfish and Atlantic stream crayfish.
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.
Astacoides is a genus of freshwater crayfish endemic to Madagascar. The first specimens were brought to Europe in 1839, and seven species are now recognised, most of which are considered as threatened on the IUCN Red List. They are large and slow-growing, and are threatened by habitat loss, overexploitation by local people and by spread of introduced non-indigenous marbled crayfish. They are only found in a relatively small part of the island, mostly in undisturbed upland areas. They belong to the Gondwana-distributed family Parastacidae, but their nearest relatives live in Australasia, there being no native crayfish in mainland Africa or India.
Cambarus fasciatus, the Etowah crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. This species is endemic to Georgia, where it is state listed as S2.
Procambarus is a genus of crayfish in the family Cambaridae, all native to North and Central America. It includes a number of troglobitic species, and the marbled crayfish (marmorkrebs), which is parthenogenetic. Originally described as a subgenus for four species, it now contains around 161 species.
Procambarus escambiensis, sometimes called the Escambia crayfish, is a species of crustacean in family Cambaridae. It is endemic to the Escambia River system in Alabama and Florida and is listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
Procambarus pictus, sometimes called the Black Creek crayfish or spotted royal crayfish, is a species of crayfish in family Cambaridae. It is endemic to Florida, where it is found in the Black Creek river system, the St. Johns River, and the upper Etoniah Creek.
Lacunicambarus diogenes, the devil crayfish,devil crawfish, is a species of North American burrowing crayfish found in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and parts of the Piedmont ecoregion from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Georgia.
Faxonius virilis is a species of crayfish known as the virile crayfish, northern crayfish,eastern crayfish, and lesser known as the lake crayfish or common crawfish. Faxonius virilis was reclassified in August 2017, and the genus was changed from Orconectes to Faxonius. It is native to the central United States, east to tributaries of Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River in New York and to much of Canada.
Faxonius alabamensis, the Alabama crayfish, is a species of freshwater crayfish that lives in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Crayfish are eaten all over the world. Like other edible crustaceans, only a small portion of the body of a crayfish is edible. In most prepared dishes, such as soups, bisques and étouffées, only the tail portion is served. At crawfish boils or other meals where the entire body of the crayfish is presented, other portions, such as the claw meat, may be eaten.
Procambarus natchitochae, or the Red River creek crayfish, is a crayfish native to the Red River basin and Bayou Teche in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Its distribution is given by the IUCN here, whereas a slightly different Louisiana map is provided in the "Crawfishes of Louisiana", which excludes Bayou Teche P. natchitochae has a distribution of approximately 46,000 km2.
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.
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.
