Cray ID

Here are a few pictures of a cray that I caught yesterday. I caught a few that looked to all be of the same species. These were all under rocks in the stream I was searching in. I caught them in extreme northern Pennsylvania right by the New York border in Mckean county. I'm very new at ID'ing crays and this is my first attempt. I know pictures from underneath the crays seems to be helpful, but I wasn't able to get any good pictures. I did get a few pictures from above and from my research I'm guessing that these are Orconectes Propinquus, if anybody could give a positive ID it would be great. They don't look it in these pictures, but their color is a blueish gray color.

Here are a few pictures of a cray that I caught yesterday. I caught a few that looked to all be of the same species. These were all under rocks in the stream I was searching in. I caught them in extreme northern Pennsylvania right by the New York border in Mckean county. I'm very new at ID'ing crays and this is my first attempt. I know pictures from underneath the crays seems to be helpful, but I wasn't able to get any good pictures. I did get a few pictures from above and from my research I'm guessing that these are Orconectes Propinquus, if anybody could give a positive ID it would be great. They don't look it in these pictures, but their color is a blueish gray color.

Overall appearance to me they are of the truely aquatic Cambarus group like our C. rusticiformes, C. tenebrosus, C. maculatus etc. Not an Orconectes sp.

I don't know...if you look at the first picture you can sort of see the Orconectes rostrum. The areola is awfully wide for virilis though. Check this out for a decent list of species you could work from.NY Decapods

Only a few cambarids to choose from but the pictures would need to be a little better quality or show reproductive organs. I've never seen propinquous but it's part of a larger complex,sanbornii, limosus, rusticus, etc. that is pretty easily identifiable.

I will have to go back in there today or tomorrow and catch another one so I can get better pictures to help ID the species. If coloration helps at all these were a blueish color with red tipped claws.

I don't know...if you look at the first picture you can sort of see the Orconectes rostrum. The areola is awfully wide for virilis though. Check this out for a decent list of species you could work from.NY Decapods

Only a few cambarids to choose from but the pictures would need to be a little better quality or show reproductive organs. I've never seen propinquous but it's part of a larger complex,sanbornii, limosus, rusticus, etc. that is pretty easily identifiable.

Many years working with Orconectes and Cambarus. Not Orconectes. Gonopods of animals (if male) in question will be decidely hooked

I'm not trying to call you out or your identification. All I said was "I don't know...you can sort of see an Orconectes rostrum". The pictures is out of focus and not close enough, but it appeared possible that marginal spines were present if you stare hard enough. I even discounted a common Orconectid because of how wide the aerola is, which would make it more likely a Cambarid.

Wait...orconectid? Is there a family Orconectidae now? I can't keep up with this stuff.

Wait...orconectid? Is there a family Orconectidae now? I can't keep up with this stuff.

Should be a family.

The animals photographed appear flattened dorsoventrally (rules out most Orconectes I know) but have well developed abdomen for swimming (rules our Cambarus rustiformes). Is the source drainage part of the Ohio system?

Wait...orconectid? Is there a family Orconectidae now? I can't keep up with this stuff.

I was just using a bastardized general term to envelope all species under the genus, not a family.

Gotcha, thanks.

I got some better pictures of the cray today and hopefully these can help to get a positive ID of it. I don't think I was able to get clear enough pictures underneath it but hopefully the pics I was able to get will help even more.

There is a parasite on the cray that you can see in this picture and it is just above the next to last leg on his right side. I have read that many wild crays will have these, but do these cause any problems and how do you get rid of them?

Looks a lot like my Cambarus (Depressicambarus) latimanus, but I don't think that's what they are, since it doesn't look like they live in NY.

Edited by fishlvr, 10 April 2008 - 12:03 AM.

Looks a lot like my Cambarus (Depressicambarus) latimanus, but I don't think that's what they are, since it doesn't look like they live in NY.

The gonopods as I can see them are indicative of the Cambarus group. Based on appearance of ischeal hooks and gonopod tips they are form II (sexually incompetent), so gonopods will not be at their best value for species ID. Get them to molt into a form I (sexually competent) instar and you will have the ideal speciman to investigate.

Ok so the cray finally molted and here are some better updated pictures!

It looks like I finally was able to get a positive ID on this with these new pictures from a crayfish forum. It is a male Cambarus (Cambarus) Bartonii. Thanks for the helping me trying to figure out what it is. This is the first cray I have ever tried to ID so I'm still pretty clueless

Are the margins of the rosturm thickened or uniform in thickness? Is there a strong dorsal ridge on the chela? Is the third or fourth tubercle on the margine of the fixed finger enlarged? Just wondering if it is a C. carinirostris instead of a bartonii.

It looks like I finally was able to get a positive ID on this with these new pictures from a crayfish forum. It is a male Cambarus (Cambarus) Bartonii. Thanks for the helping me trying to figure out what it is. This is the first cray I have ever tried to ID so I'm still pretty clueless

Find him a girl and you might get a mating. Looks like he's a Form I(breeding form) male.

It looks like I finally was able to get a positive ID on this with these new pictures from a crayfish forum. It is a male Cambarus (Cambarus) Bartonii. Thanks for the helping me trying to figure out what it is. This is the first cray I have ever tried to ID so I'm still pretty clueless

Molted into another form II instar. To him girls more interesting as potential food or competition for resources.

Can you zoom in on gap between fingers of chela and the rostrum from both dorsal and lateral aspect?

Until you have seen lots of crayfish from many locations, and been embarressed by a few misidentifications you will be challenged to ID these guys. Also the most fun stage of your education as you begin to develop an understanding of character states and begin to see patterns. Please try not to go down the road of over stressing the gonopods, still consider the tubercles, coloration and eye size etc.

Where he collected them from thankfully only gives him 2 or 3 choices of Cambarus species. What you said is right, which is why I wanted to know more about the characteristics of the chela, tubercles, and rostrum. I think it's a bartonii given the very nice picture posted on 4/9. There does not appear to be any thickening of the rostral margin or enlarged tubercles on the chela.

Here are a couple of pictures that I hope show what you were asking for. These are pictures that I had already taken but just cropped down to show the sections in question. If these aren't sufficient I can catch him and try taking some better ones for you but I figured I would try these pictures first.