Clawless Crayfish

I recently came into possession of a crayfish without main claws. Instead it has i am guessing four small claws on its chest, which are used to scrounge across the bottom picking up small food particles. I caught this cray in Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, and i compared it to photos of all 11 maryland cray species, and it did not look like any of them. ANy ideas what this crayfish was.

Show a picture.

If you could provide me with a picture I would greatly appreciate it. The primary crayfish found in Deep Creek Lake is Orconectes virilis, which is not native to the state of MD. There is growing evidence that they have significantly impacted the native crayfish fauna of Maryland as they have in many other states and regions where they have been introduced. Crayfish frequently loose their 'main' claws. They regenerate rather quickly but are noticably smaller for quite a while why they are growing and disproportional to the rest of the crayfish. Please note if it was a virile crayfish they are prohibited to transport.

MD - Virile Crayfish Fact Sheet

Maryland DNR - Invasive speices home page

Here are two pictures of the crayfish, hope they help.

Actually, the pink/orange cheeks suggest it is an Orconectes obscurus. There is some growing debate as to the native range of O. obscurus but at any event they are being displaced in areas where O. virilis is present. The fact you found something other than O. virilis in Deep Creek Lake is fairly interesting.

Well i only kept one, but i can tell you for a fact, that i saw at least 10 or 12 crayfish that looked just like this one, right next to my dock. They were out in the open at night feeding, and i liked to watch them. If you want me to add more pics, i will see if i can get you a clearer one, but it is hard to find this guy without destroying my tank.

Edited by pes142, 04 August 2008 - 09:41 PM.