Digger Crayfish

Fallicambarus fodiens

Diagnostic description 4

Male with 1st pleopod terminating in 2 elements, both bent at least 90 degrees; basal part of opposable margin of dactyl of chela with distinct excision; ventral surface of merus of chela with 2 rows of tubercles; mesial surface of palm of 2nd cheliped bearded; abdomen broadly joined to thorax.

Distribution 5

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) "From southern Ontario southwestward to Aransas County, Texas, and southeastward to the Appalachicola Basin, also present in the Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont from Beaufort County, South Carolina, to Somerset and Dorchester counties, Maryland." (Hobbs and Robison, 1989). Apparent hiatus in the range caused by the Appalachian Mountains, extending to the sea between the Flint and Savannah rivers in Georgia; Hobbs's extensive study of the state (Hobbs, 1981) make it probable that the gap is real. Jezerinac et al. (1995) reported a third apparently disjunct population along the Ohio River in west-central West Virginia.

Habitat and ecology 6

Habitat and Ecology

This species is a semi-terrestrial burrower that can be found in a range of habitats such as wetlands (marshes and swamps), roadside ditches, creek banks and among rooted semi aquatic plants and grasses (Taylor et al. 2005, Hamr 2005). It is mostly found in fine clay soils (Hamr 2005), and is unable to tolerate fast-flowing streams (Bouchard 1974).

Little is known on the life history of this species. Captive individuals were observed to mate in June, while reproduction is thought to occur throughout most of the year in the southern parts of its range (Hamr 2005). This species may live for up to five or six years (Norrocky 1991, Guiasu and Dunham 2002). It shows little aggression to conspecifics and several members of the same species are able to inhabit the same burrow (Guiasu et al. 2005).


Systems
  • Freshwater

Iucn red list assessment 7


Red List Category
LC
Least Concern

Red List Criteria

Version
3.1

Year Assessed
2010

Assessor/s
Crandall, K.A.

Reviewer/s
Collen, B. & Richman, N.

Contributor/s
Livingston, F., Livingston, F., Soulsby, A.-M., Batchelor, A., Dyer, E., Whitton, F., Milligan, H.T., Smith, J., Lutz, M.L., De Silva, R., McGuinness, S., Kasthala, G., Jopling, B., Sullivan, K. & Cryer, G.

Justification
Fallicambarus fodiens has been assessed as Least Concern. This species has a wide distribution . with an extent of occurrence of approximately 1,000,000 km2. It is found in a range of habitat types and displays a certain level of tolerance to contaminants. Localized declines are likely due to habitat degradation, however there are no known major threats impacting the population. Further research is required to determine the abundance of this species, and to what extent it is impacted upon by threats within its range.

Nature serve conservation status 8

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: This species has a large geographic range and is currently stable thoughtout most of its distribution. It is found in a range of habitat types and displays a certailn level of tolerance to contaminants. Localized declines are likely due to habitat degradation, however there are no known major threats impacting the global population. An apparent hiatus in the range is caused by the Appalachian Mountains, extending to the sea between the Flint and Savannah rivers in Georgia; Hobbs's extensive study of the state (Hobbs, 1981) make it probable that the gap is real. This is the most widely distributed Fallicambarus species, occurring as far north as southern Ontario and is apparently stable except at the northern edge of its range where it is declining.

Intrinsic Vulnerability: Not intrinsically vulnerable

Environmental Specificity: Moderate to broad.

Comments: Simon and Morris (2008) found this species to be much more tolerant of high concentrations of sediment contaminants in the Patoka River watershed, Indiana, than aquatic tertiary burrowing species.

Range description 9

This species is found in Canada and the United States of America. It is known from southern Ontario to Aransas County in Texas, and East to the Appalachicola Basin (Hobbs and Robison 1989). It has a distribution of approximately 1,000,000 km2, and is the most widespread species in its genus (Guiasu 2007).

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Andrew Hoffman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/71701055@N00/8614354749/
  2. (c) Linda Gilbert, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Linda Gilbert
  3. (c) ksmith, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
  4. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28894863
  5. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28894858
  6. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34461739
  7. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34461736
  8. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28894851
  9. (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/34461737

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