Crayfish identification

This little guy was caught in a very shallow, slow moving western WA stream (near Olympia). His body color is light bluish gray, and his legs and the tips of his claws are white. Right now he (I'm just calling him "he" for now since I haven't sexed it yet) is only about .75" long from tail to the tips of his claws so I'm not sure if he is displaying juvenile colors or somesuch.

My guess based on my very limited understanding of the crayfish species in my area is Procambarus Clarkii.

I apologize for the poor quality of the pics, my camera is... not good.
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Edited by beefxer, 16 July 2009 - 09:48 PM.

Please read the sticky in the native invertebrates section and what is needed for even an educated guess at an identification. Showing just part of the rostrum and chelipeds is not going to cut it. Crayfish are not easy to identify and showing only 1/12 of the crayfish is not conducive to an identification.

Blake

Edited by blakemarkwell, 16 July 2009 - 09:56 PM.

Please read the sticky in the native invertebrates section and what is needed for even an education guess at an identification. Showing just part of the rostrum and chelipeds is not going to cut it. Crayfish are not easy to identify and showing only 1/12 of the crayfish is not conducive to an identification.

Blake

I agree in part with above. Although enough of animal shown suggests to me you have of your native Pacificastacus sp. rather than a Procambarus sp. or the introduced Orconectes neglectus .

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to wait until it grows quite a bit before I feel comfortable with handling it to take better pictures. I just don't want to damage it needlessly.

One more question for you guys: Do crayfish tend to change color as they mature? From the pictures I have been looking at online it seems that they begin their lives without any color (translucent) and then they become brilliantly colored as adults. Should I expect this specimen's colors to intensify over time?

Thanks again,
beefxer

Ah hah! After hours of searching I've finally found pictures of a crayfish with the same coloration as mine, and it was caught nearby in Oregon.

http://www.bluecrayf...i...?f=9&t=1496

Edit:

I later found these images labeled Pacifastacus leniusculus:

http://farm4.static...._2ec84f7607.jpg

http://farm4.static...._9081875940.jpg

Edited by beefxer, 17 July 2009 - 02:47 AM.

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to wait until it grows quite a bit before I feel comfortable with handling it to take better pictures. I just don't want to damage it needlessly.

One more question for you guys: Do crayfish tend to change color as they mature? From the pictures I have been looking at online it seems that they begin their lives without any color (translucent) and then they become brilliantly colored as adults. Should I expect this specimen's colors to intensify over time?

Thanks again,
beefxer

Most species do start independent life as blanched with full coloration acheived after a couple molts. Animals with low pigment diets, like sometimes encountered in aquaria or ponds with a detritus based food chain, tend to be blanched, blue or even white.


Some species have brilliantly colored offspring when they first leave the mother. Red / orange leg bands are striking on some early instar Orconectes spp.. native to areas east of the continental divide.

Well, tragedy has struck, but perhaps now we can identify this little guy.

Last night my girlfriend and I noticed that fleas had started to come in through the screen door (which opens to a small jungle) to attack us. After several episodes in which I ran around like a silly little girl after finding one crawling up my leg, I decided that it was them or me, and I proceeded to purchase a flea bomb. I followed the instructions, carefully sealing up my tank and turning off the filter prior to setting off the bomb. Three hours later, after bombing and airing out the house as per the directions on the box, I went to my aquarium to see if everyone was alright. Immediately I noticed that my new baby cray was allowing a small minnow to share his hidey hole, and I knew something was wrong. I opened the top and prodded his hidey hole with a net. No movement. I removed the rock that formed the top of his hole and he flopped over - belly up. Woe is me. Then, to compound the tragedy, one of my two black nosed dace jumped out of the tank while I was removing the cray's carcass, and I didn't notice until it was too late. What a #*$% day.

However, now I don't feel squeemish about making my crayfish model for some better pictures, and maybe you guys will be able to confirm my images.google.com identification.

 DSC08972.JPG   274.6KB   1 downloads

Edit:

I can't fit the other pic right now, I'll have to wait until it will let me add more I guess.

Edited by beefxer, 17 July 2009 - 08:55 PM.

[quote name='beefxer' date='18 July 2009 - 02:17 AM' timestamp='1247879847' post='62021']
Well, tragedy has struck, but perhaps now we can identify this little guy.

Last night my girlfriend and I noticed that fleas had started to come in through the screen door (which opens to a small jungle) to attack us. After several episodes in which I ran around like a silly little girl after finding one crawling up my leg, I decided that it was them or me, and I proceeded to purchase a flea bomb. I followed the instructions, carefully sealing up my tank and turning off the filter prior to setting off the bomb. Three hours later, after bombing and airing out the house as per the directions on the box, I went to my aquarium to see if everyone was alright. Immediately I noticed that my new baby cray was allowing a small minnow to share his hidey hole, and I knew something was wrong. I opened the top and prodded his hidey hole with a net. No movement. I removed the rock that formed the top of his hole and he flopped over - belly up. Woe is me. Then, to compound the tragedy, one of my two black nosed dace jumped out of the tank while I was removing the cray's carcass, and I didn't notice until it was too late. What a #*$% day.

However, now I don't feel squeemish about making my crayfish model for some better pictures, and maybe you guys will be able to confirm my images.google.com identification.

 DSC08972.JPG   274.6KB   1 downloads
 DSC08966.JPG   295.81KB   2 downloads

It is a Pacifastacus of some sort but I for one am not an expert on your west coast taxa. The gonopods so frequently used in the eastern half of the US will not work on a juvenile (yours appears to be a female anyway. Probably best to look at adults to scrutenize rostrum / head and chelae / pinchers and likely other parts.

Cool, so you were right in the first place.

Thanks for all your help centrarchid!

beefxer