''Cambarus gentryi'', the linear cobalt crayfish, is small burrowing species of

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

in the family Cambaridae, notable for its blue

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

. It is endemic to Tennessee in the United States.

Physical description

''Cambarus gentryi'' has a shell length of around and pincers about long. Its shell is cobalt blue in colour with orange or yellow to yellowish-green markings.

Habitat

The linear cobalt crayfish has been found in the Cumberland and Duck river basins in Tennessee. It forms complex burrows in damp soil, which often have two openings to the surface and have been found up to about in depth.

Conservation status

''Cambarus gentryi'' is listed as least concern by the IUCN.

References

Cambaridae Crustaceans described in 1970 Freshwater crustaceans of North America Endemic fauna of Tennessee Taxa named by Horton H. Hobbs Jr. {{Crayfish-stub