''Cambarellus zacapuensis'' is a small crustacean in the family

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 ...

. It is endemic to the Angulo River basin, observed mainly in

Zacapu Lagoon The Zacapu Lagoon is a small Perennial water, perennial wetland located within the urban area of Zacapu, Michoacán, Mexico. It has an approximate area of 33 hectares, connects with the Lerma River through the Angulo River and is fed by 20 sprin ...

Description

''Cambarellus zacapuensis'' is a species morphologically very similar to the '' Cambarellus chapalanus''. Males of ''C. zacapuensis'' have an average length of 26 millimeters, with a 12 millimeters long and 5.5 millimeters wide cephalothorax, while females have an average length of 32 millimeters, with a 14.5 millimeters long and 7 millimeters wide

cephalothorax The cephalothorax, also called prosoma in some groups, is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. (The terms ''prosoma'' and ''opisthosoma'' are equivalent to ''cepha ...

. ''C. zacapuensis'' has a pigmented body, well-developed eyes, and a rostrum with marginal spines. Its shell lacks a cervical spine or a branchial spine.

Conservation status and habitat

''Cambarellus zacapuensis'' is found mainly in Zacapu Lagoon and in some of its drains such as the Angulo River. It is usually found at a shallow depth, between submerged roots and in the aquatic substrate. The introduction of invasive species such as

common carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

and

grass carp The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russian ...

pose a threat to the ''Cambarellus zacapuensis'' population, as has happened to other species of the ''Cambarellus'' genus elsewhere. The exploitation of the water resources of their habitat by human action also represents a threat to the small crustacean, which is why it could be considered "

critically endangered An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...

" under

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

criteria.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q32832883 Cambaridae Freshwater crustaceans of North America Endemic crustaceans of Mexico Crustaceans described in 2015