Terrestrial Crayfish?

Anyone know much about the crayfish that dig holes in the ground in moist soils? Do they prefer this habitat over a lucastrine environment? I've got them on my property and apparently they are coming in from a highway ditch. I've only seen one in one of my ponds.

Anyone know much about the crayfish that dig holes in the ground in moist soils? Do they prefer this habitat over a lucastrine environment? I've got them on my property and apparently they are coming in from a highway ditch. I've only seen one in one of my ponds.

At least three species in you area can be found away from open water outside the breeding season. Seasonally, about now, the devil crayfishes Cambarus "diogenes" (complex of more than one species, none of which actually diogenes) moves into upland streams (sometimes lakes and ponds) to mate and incubate dependent offspring. As the young reach 2 to 3 inches in total length they become terrestrial and begin moving away from open water to build burrows you may be seeing now. Some of Cambarus species I have seen can move nearly 1/2 mile from open water into decidely upland habitat. All they have to be able to do is burrow down to the ground water and some species appear able to greater than 14 feet down (personal observation). Based on size of burrow openings, the subadults can be found farthest from open water while juveniles and adults are closest.

The prairie crayfish is similar in apparent association with open water during breeding in fall.

Another species, the digger crayfish (likely also a complex), mates in late fall and produces a smaller number of large eggs during the winter which hatch as very very much larger juveniles that can begin the burrowing lifestyle almost immediately. Had some ovigerous females in burrows under boards of our hoglot that had at most 1/2 inch of standing water for only about 2 weeks that were able to get at least some of the offspring to recruit into the burrowing lifestage.

These species do not seem to do well when fishes such as centrarchids are abundant. I have observed the digger and crayfishes in stripper pits and aquaculture ponds when more aquatic species (Orconectes and Procambarus) are absent. The more terrestrial species can be problematic in their burrowing habits that can cause leaks. In ponds with many digger crayfish, the introduction of either papershell, northern or white river crayfish was followed by the dissapearance of diggers from pond.

I think all species would prefer open water without fishes or competition. Young in ponds seem to grow faster than those in streams.

At least three species in you area can be found away from open water outside the breeding season. Seasonally, about now, the devil crayfishes Cambarus "diogenes" (complex of more than one species, none of which actually diogenes) moves into upland streams (sometimes lakes and ponds) to mate and incubate dependent offspring. As the young reach 2 to 3 inches in total length they become terrestrial and begin moving away from open water to build burrows you may be seeing now. Some of Cambarus species I have seen can move nearly 1/2 mile from open water into decidely upland habitat. All they have to be able to do is burrow down to the ground water and some species appear able to greater than 14 feet down (personal observation). Based on size of burrow openings, the subadults can be found farthest from open water while juveniles and adults are closest.

The prairie crayfish is similar in apparent association with open water during breeding in fall.

Another species, the digger crayfish (likely also a complex), mates in late fall and produces a smaller number of large eggs during the winter which hatch as very very much larger juveniles that can begin the burrowing lifestyle almost immediately. Had some ovigerous females in burrows under boards of our hoglot that had at most 1/2 inch of standing water for only about 2 weeks that were able to get at least some of the offspring to recruit into the burrowing lifestage.

These species do not seem to do well when fishes such as centrarchids are abundant. I have observed the digger and crayfishes in stripper pits and aquaculture ponds when more aquatic species (Orconectes and Procambarus) are absent. The more terrestrial species can be problematic in their burrowing habits that can cause leaks. In ponds with many digger crayfish, the introduction of either papershell, northern or white river crayfish was followed by the dissapearance of diggers from pond.

I think all species would prefer open water without fishes or competition. Young in ponds seem to grow faster than those in streams.

14 feet? Yikes that may explain some of the leaks in my dike and the small holes! I am now draining the pond for repairs. Here is a picture of one.

Edited by az9, 21 March 2009 - 09:38 PM.

Dude I just dug two up out of my front yard and I need help with ID's One is like a Midnight Blue color and the other is an odd color that I can't describe.....gotta love the burrowers!

Let's see some pictures of the head, claws and gonopods.

This looks a lot like the devil crayfish that I have seen. C. diogenes

I have a drainage ditch that borders my property, never stays full of water but is always too wet to mow early in the spring, like now. I have noticed that crayfish tend to make those little stacked up hills of mud that dry and cause a lot of dust when you hit them with the mower. Ive also caught one that was carrying lots of babys under her tail, that was neat. Then as the spring progresses and the ditch dries out they just seem to disappear

You're running over their chimneys that go down to the burrows and chambers. They go deeper down to the water table when things dry up.

Keep that ditch grass nice and tight!

This looks a lot like the devil crayfish that I have seen. C. diogenes

The photograph appears to be of Cambarus polychromatis, a species that was part of the C. diogenes complex. If the arrangement is maintained in northern Indiana as in the southern part of the Indiana and southern Illinois, two species will be present in and around a given stream. One not shown is more robust with smaller eyes. This latter critter has the copper stripe down its back as an aquatic juvenile (like the true C. diogenes) and as an adult makes burrows in closer proximity to streams. The former, in photograph, is more gracile with larger eyes. The photographed animal as an aquatic juvenile has a speckled back. C. polychromatis populations I am familiar with as adults and sub adults make terrestrial burrows farther away from streams (sometimes greater than 1/4 mile). There is some overlap in burrowing habititat of th two species as adults. Both species can be found in same microhabitats as aquatic juveniles. Gonopod morphology (form I) was not generally needed as differences between the species pair were gross enough to enable differentiation from several feet away irrespective of gender or sexual competence. I used to the refer to C. polychromatis as the woodcock / timberdoodle crayfish because its burrows were easy to find in areas where the bird did breeding displays.

Edited by centrarchid, 05 April 2009 - 09:05 AM.

14 feet? Yikes that may explain some of the leaks in my dike and the small holes! I am now draining the pond for repairs. Here is a picture of one.

hi, it seemed u killed the crayfish, if u got them pls don't kill them, I love crayfish & now is collecting some rare spieces such like ur picture Diogens, or Manningi or some Orconectes sp. ,research their behavior & recording, so if u don't like them, pls collect them & sent to me, I will pay the post, tks!

Is the Forum going out over Twitter now?