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New crayfish not sure what it is

Started by Guest_davidjh2_* , Feb 11 2012 09:05 PM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 11 February 2012 - 09:05 PM

I was shopping at a favorite local fish store and saw a big crayfish in a tank. I'm almost positive it's a Procambarus but it doesn't look like the usual Procambarus acutus that I usually see in pet stores. I had to buy it to bring it home and get it identified. The color and pattern on it's carapace are totally unlike any acutus I've ever seen but it could be a fungal infection causing the pattern. It's chela have tubercles that are a different color from acutus too but that could also be caused by environment. Here are some pictures, any help identifying it will be greatly appreciated.

Posted Image

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#2 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 11 February 2012 - 09:07 PM

#3 Guest_ashtonmj_*

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 08:40 AM

Have you considered alleni? I'd say those are the second most common Procambarus in pet stores. I don't recall the aerola width for zonangulus off the top of my head.

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#4 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 10:14 AM

Wow. That cray looks nearly identical to the most common crayfish I encounter in this area of Georgia - Procambarus spiculifer - the white-tubercled crayfish. I would never have thought it would end up in a pet store in New Jersey.

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#5 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 07:40 PM

It would awesome if it was a P. spiculifer. They have another one at the petstore and I would go back and get it.

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#6 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 12 February 2012 - 11:04 PM

Have you considered alleni? I'd say those are the second most common Procambarus in pet stores. I don't recall the aerola width for zonangulus off the top of my head.

I'm fairly sure it's not alleni but never having seen one I can't rule it out. It's not a clarkii that much I know. The aerola is open and on clarkii's it's closed.

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#7 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 03:26 PM

Wow. That cray looks nearly identical to the most common crayfish I encounter in this area of Georgia - Procambarus spiculifer - the white-tubercled crayfish. I would never have thought it would end up in a pet store in New Jersey.

For curiosity's sake I googled Procambarus Spiculifer and it does look a lot like my new crayfish. I'm hoping someone more knowledgable can id it for certain.

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#8 Guest_UncleWillie_*

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 05:52 PM

I'm 90% on the P. spiculifer. I've seen a fair share of live ones, and pieces of them in flathead bellies, and there is no other crayfish (to my knowledge) that takes on that distinctive look of that cray.

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#9 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 13 February 2012 - 07:14 PM

Yeah I'm going to go 90% with you. Comparing pictures side by side it's pretty much a match.

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#10 Guest_Dan Johnson_*

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Posted 17 February 2012 - 08:16 AM

Your crayfish is in the subgenus "Procambarus (Pennides)". This is readily apparent due to the two cervical spines visible in your pictures. Many of the members look very similar and I doubt you could identify it from general appearance. It looks like your specimen is likely a form I male and you should be able to easily identify it with this key: http://iz.carnegiemn...ys/pennides.htm .

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#11 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 17 February 2012 - 12:05 PM

Thanks Dan, I'll give it a try

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#12 Guest_davidjh2_*

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Posted 21 February 2012 - 01:00 PM

Well I picked up the other crayfish of the same species from the pet store last week. It was also a male so I won't be breeding them. The larger male pictured in the beginning of the thread also died Friday. My wife said he walking along and just fell on his side and that was it. I'm thinking old age got him since my other crayfish are fine so it wasn't a water quality issue.