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Crayfish
Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some species are found in brooks and streams, where fresh water is running, while others thrive in swamps, ditches, and paddy fields. Most crayfish cannot tolerate polluted water, although some species, such as '' Procambarus clarkii'', are hardier. Crayfish feed on animals and plants, either living or decomposing, and detritus. The term "crayfish" is applied to saltwater species in some countries. Terminology The name "crayfish" comes from the Old French word ' ( Modern French '). The word has been modified to "crayfish" by association with "fish" ( French language">Modern French '). The word has been modified to "crayfish" by association with "fish" ( American variant "crawfish" is similarly derived. Some kinds of crayfish are known lo ...
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Procambarus Clarkii
''Procambarus clarkii'', known variously as the red swamp crayfish, Louisiana crawfish or mudbug, is a species of cambarid crayfish native to freshwater bodies of northern Mexico, and southern and southeastern United States, but also introduced elsewhere (both in North America and other continents), where it is often an invasive pest. Appearance ''P. clarkii'' is typically dark red, with long claws and head, small or no spines on the sides of its carapace just below the head, and rows of bright red bumps on the front and side of the first leg. Range and range expansion The native range of ''P. clarkii'' is from northern Mexico and far southeastern New Mexico, through the Gulf States to the Florida Panhandle, as well as inland north through the Mississippi Basin to southern Illinois. It has also been introduced, sometimes deliberately, outside its natural range to countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and elsewhere in the Americas. In northern Europe, the populations are self-m ...
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Cherax
''Cherax'', commonly known as yabby/yabbies in Australia, is the most widespread genus of fully aquatic crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Various species of cherax may be found in both still and flowing bodies of freshwater across most of Australia and New Guinea. Together with '' Euastacus'', it is also the largest crayfish genus in the Southern Hemisphere. Habitat Members of the cherax genus can be found in lakes, rivers, and streams across most of Australia and New Guinea. The most common and widely distributed species in Australia is the common yabby (''C. destructor''). It is generally found in lowland rivers and streams, lakes, swamps, and impoundments at low to medium altitude, largely within the Murray–Darling Basin. Common yabbies are found in many ephemeral waterways, and can survive dry conditions for long periods of time (at least several years) by aestivating (lying dormant) in burrows sunk deep into muddy creek and swamp beds. In New Guinea, ''Cherax'' cr ...
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Astacidae
Astacidae is a family (biology), family of freshwater crayfish native to Europe, western Asia and western North America. The family is made up of four extant taxon, extant (living) genera: The genera ''Astacus'' (which includes the European crayfish), ''Pontastacus'' (which includes the Turkish crayfish), and ''Austropotamobius'' are all found throughout Europe and parts of western Asia, while ''Pacifastacus'' (which includes the signal crayfish) is native to western United States and British Columbia, but has also been Introduced species, introduced elsewhere. Classification and phylogeny Astacidae belongs to the superfamily (biology), superfamily Astacoidea, which contains all crayfish in the Northern Hemisphere. Astacoidea is the sister taxon to Parastacoidea, which contains all crayfish of the Southern Hemisphere. Crayfish and lobsters together comprise the infraorder Astacidea, as shown in the simplified cladogram below: The internal phylogeny of Astacidae can be further sh ...
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Parastacoidea
The Parastacidae are the family (biology), family of freshwater crayfish found in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with Extant taxon, extant members in South America, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea, and extinct taxon, taxa also in Antarctica. Classification and phylogeny Parastacidae belongs to the superfamily (biology), superfamily Parastacoidea, the monotypic taxon which contains all crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Parastacoidea is the sister taxon to Astacoidea, which contains all crayfish of the Northern Hemisphere. Crayfish and lobsters together comprise the infraorder Astacidea, as shown in the simplified cladogram below: Distribution Three genera are found in Chile, ''Virilastacus'', ''Samastacus'' and ''Parastacus'', the last of which also occurs Disjunct distribution, disjunctly in southern Brazil and Uruguay. There are no crayfish native to continental Africa, but seven species on Madagascar, all o ...
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Parastacidae
The Parastacidae are the family of freshwater crayfish found in the Southern Hemisphere. The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with extant members in South America, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea, and extinct taxa also in Antarctica. Classification and phylogeny Parastacidae belongs to the superfamily Parastacoidea, the monotypic taxon which contains all crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Parastacoidea is the sister taxon to Astacoidea, which contains all crayfish of the Northern Hemisphere. Crayfish and lobsters together comprise the infraorder Astacidea, as shown in the simplified cladogram below: Distribution Three genera are found in Chile, '' Virilastacus'', '' Samastacus'' and '' Parastacus'', the last of which also occurs disjunctly in southern Brazil and Uruguay. There are no crayfish native to continental Africa, but seven species on Madagascar, all of the genus '' Astacoides''. Australasia is particularly rich in crayfish. T ...
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Paranephrops
''Paranephrops'' is a genus of freshwater crayfish found only in New Zealand. They are known by the English common names freshwater crayfish and koura, the latter from their Māori language, Māori name of ''kōura''. Species The two species are: Both species are a traditional food for Māori people, Māori, and a small koura aquaculture industry supplies the restaurant market. Description The northern koura (''P. planifrons'') reaches lengths of about , whereas the southern koura (''P. zealandicus'') is slightly larger – – with relatively shorter antennae. Their first pair of legs (Chela (organ), chelipeds) are pincers used for scavenging food and warding off predators or other koura. The chelipeds in ''P. zealandicus'' are much hairier at their tips than those of ''P. planifrons.'' The four pairs of well-developed walking legs are used for most movement, but the Decapod anatomy, pleopods are small and no use for swimming; when alarmed, koura can flick their tails for ...
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Astacidea
Astacidea is an infraorder of decapod crustaceans including lobsters (but not "lobsters" such as the spiny lobster etc.), crayfish, and their close relatives. Description The Astacidea are distinguished from most other decapods by the presence of chelae (claws) on each of the first three pairs of pereiopods (walking legs), the first of which is much larger than the remaining two pairs. The last two pairs of pereiopods are simple (without claws), except in ''Thaumastocheles'', where the fifth pereiopod may have "a minute pincer". Distribution Members of the infraorder Astacidea are found throughout the world – both in the oceans and in fresh water – except for mainland Africa and parts of Asia. Classification Astacidea belongs to the group Reptantia, which consists of the walking/crawling decapods (lobsters and crabs). Astacidea is the sister clade to the infraorder Polychelida, a small group of crustaceans restricted to deep waters. The cladogram below shows Astacidea's ...
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Lobster
Lobsters are Malacostraca, malacostracans Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the family (biology), family Nephropidae or its Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs have claws, including the first pair, which are usually much larger than the others. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important and are often one of the most profitable commodities in the coastal areas they populate. Commercially important species include two species of ''Homarus'' from the northern Atlantic Ocean and Scampi (other), scampi (which look more like a shrimp, or a "mini lobster")—the Northern Hemisphere genus ''Nephrops'' and the Southern Hemisphere genus ''Metanephrops''. Distinction Although several other groups of crustaceans have the word "lobster" in their names, the unqualified term "lobster" generally refers to the clawed lobsters of the fam ...
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Cambaridae
The Cambaridae are the largest of the four families of freshwater crayfish, with over 400 species. Most of the species in the family are native to the United States east of the Great Divide and Mexico, but fewer range north to Canada, and south to Guatemala and Honduras. Three live on the island of Cuba. The species in the genus '' Cambaroides'' are only found outside North America, as they are restricted to eastern Asia. A few species, including the invasive '' Procambarus clarkii'' and '' Faxonius rusticus'', have been introduced to regions far outside their native range (both in North America and other continents). Conversely, many species have tiny ranges and are seriously threatened; a few are already extinct. A 2006 molecular study suggested that the family Cambaridae may be paraphyletic, with the family Astacidae nested within it, and the status of the genus ''Cambaroides'' remains unclear. The oldest fossils of the family are known from the Late Jurassic Morrison Form ...
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Crustacean
Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthropods including decapods (shrimps, prawns, crabs, lobsters and crayfish), seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, opossum shrimps, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean group can be treated as a subphylum under the clade Mandibulata. It is now well accepted that the hexapods (insects and entognathans) emerged deep in the Crustacean group, with the completed pan-group referred to as Pancrustacea. The three classes Cephalocarida, Branchiopoda and Remipedia are more closely related to the hexapods than they are to any of the other crustaceans ( oligostracans and multicrustaceans). The 67,000 described species range in size from '' Stygotantulus stocki'' at , to the Japanese ...
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