The Everglades crayfish[2] (Procambarus alleni), 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.[4] It is included on the IUCN Red List as a species of Least Concern. The blue crayfish is frequently kept in a freshwater aquaria.[1] 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.[5]
| Everglades crayfish | |
|---|---|
| |
| The most common morph in aquaristics called the blue crayfish | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Cambaridae |
| Genus: | Procambarus |
| Species: | P. alleni
|
| Binomial name | |
| Procambarus alleni | |
It should not be confused with the burrowing Cambarus monongalensis, also known as the blue crayfish, but native to Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.[6][7][8]
Gallery edit
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Gravid mother cradling eggs inside her swimmerets -
Female dwelling in a small cave -
Male dwelling in a small cave
References edit
- ^ a b Crandall, K.A. (2010). "Procambarus alleni". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T153828A4550642. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T153828A4550642.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ a b "Procambarus alleni". NatureServe Explorer An online encyclopedia of life. 7.1. NatureServe. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Procambarus alleni". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved October 10, 2010.
- ^ K. A. Crandall & J. W. Fetzner (May 17, 2003). "Procambarus (Leconticambarus) alleni (Faxon, 1884)".[permanent dead link]
- ^ Aquarium Domain: Cobalt Blue Lobster (Procambarus alleni). Archived 2016-08-07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 26 July 2016
- ^ Loughman, Lieb, Scott, Dillard & Sadecky (2017). Historical and current distribution of Appalachian primary burrowing crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae) in western Pennsylvania: a century of change or stasis? Journal of Crustacean Biology 37(5):1-9.
- ^ Foltz II, Damis, Sadecky, Cyprych & Loughman (2016). The crayfish of Tomlinson Run State Park, Hancock County, West Virginia, USA. Freshwater Crayfish 2016: 1–8.
- ^ Cordeiro, J.; Jones, T. & Thoma, R.F. (2010). "Cambarus monongalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T153730A4537504. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T153730A4537504.en.
External links edit
Media related to Procambarus alleni at Wikimedia Commons- "Procambarus alleni". The Aquarium Wiki.
