''Astacopsis'' is a genus of

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 spe ...

endemic to the island of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

. There are three extant species, '' Astacopsis gouldi'', '' Astacopsis franklinii'', and '' Astacopsis tricornis''. All are threatened by illegal harvesting, and ''A. gouldi'' is protected by law. ''A. franklinii'' is found in the eastern half of the island, with ''A. tricornis'' taking its place in the west. ''A. gouldi'' is found only in rivers draining into the

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

, except for the

Tamar River The Tamar River, officially kanamaluka / River Tamar, is a estuary located in northern Tasmania, Australia. Despite being named a river, the waterway is a brackish and tidal estuary over its entire length. Etymology The Tamar River was named ...

. The three species were named by naturalist Ellen Clark in 1936. Prior to Clark's revision, all three species were collectively known as ''Astacopsis franklinii''. The most famous depiction of a crayfish of the genus ''Astacopsis'' is in the "Sketchbook of fishes" by convict artist

William Buelow Gould William Buelow Gould (c. 1801 – 11 December 1853) was a painter born in the United Kingdom and later working in Van Diemen's Land. He was Penal transportation, transported to Australia as a Convicts in Australia, convict in 1827, after which h ...

, painted at the

Macquarie Harbour Macquarie Harbour is a shallow fjord in the West Coast region of Tasmania, Australia. It is approximately , and has an average depth of , with deeper places up to . It is navigable by shallow-draft vessels. The main channel is kept clear by th ...

penal station circa 1832. Based on the location of observation and morphology evident in the image the specimen Gould painted was ''A. tricornis''. Contrary to popular belief, ''A. gouldi'' was not named after WB Gould, but was named by Ellen Clark after the first Tasmanian Government Geological Surveyor Charles Gould, who published observations on giant freshwater crayfish distribution, diet and habits in 1870.

Extant Species

References

External links

* Parastacidae Freshwater crustaceans of Australia {{Crayfish-stub