Creek Eureka!
Scholar Discovers New Crayfish Species
Morgantown Dominion Post
12 September 2011
The fauna in West Virginia just became more diverse with the
discovery of a new species of crayfish.
Researchers recently confirmed the new species Cambarus
(Puncticambarus) smilax and published their findings in the
Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington journal.
Zachary Loughman, instructor of biology in the Department of
Natural Sciences and Mathematics at West Liberty University;
Stuart Welsh, adjunct associate professor of wildlife and
fisheries resources at WVU; and Thomas Simon, senior research
scientist in the Department of Biology at Indiana State
University, are coauthors on the publication.
Loughman and Welsh have been conducting a conservation assessment
of West Virginia crayfishes since 2007 with the ultimate goal of
producing a distribution atlas for the crayfishes found within the
state.
The new species, C. (P.) similax and commonly known as the
Greenbrier crayfish, was first uncovered during a 2008 survey that
Loughman and Welsh conducted within the Greenbrier River
watershed.
“At first the crayfish looked similar to Cambarus (Puncticambarus)
robustus, or Big Water crayfish. However, upon further inspection,
we realized it had several unique morphological characteristics,”
Welsh said.
The physical appearance of the Greenbrier crayfish differs from
that of the Big Water crayfish by the shape of the claw, the shape
of the head, and the shape of the male gonopods, structures
important for reproduction.
The Puncticambarus subgenus inhabits rivers and streams across
much of eastern North America with the Big Water crayfish having
the most extensive range.
The new species is concentrated in streams occurring in the
Greenbrier River system with the highest population densities in
the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier River, Thorny Creek and
Deer Creek.
The researchers weren’t surprised to find the new species.
Including it, there are currently 24 identified in West Virginia.
“We estimate there are approximately 20 to 30 undescribed species
of crayfish in the state,” Welsh said. “Unfortunately, we know
there has not been a concentrated effort to identify them and it’s
a slow process.”
Although often misunderstood or underappreciated, the crustaceans
play a vital role in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
“The importance of crayfish cannot be stressed enough,” Welsh
said. “They are prey and predators, shredder-collector
facilitators and ecosystem engineers, among other things. They are
also extremely sensitive to pollution and serve as a good
indicator of water quality.”
In 2008, Welsh discovered a new species of fish in southern West
Virginia, Crystallaria cincotta, or the diamond darter.
To read more about the new crayfish species, visit bioone.org/
doi/full/10.2988/10-09.1.