''Orconectes'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of cave dwelling freshwater

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 suitable habitats in the eastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Surface dwelling species, formerly categorised here, were moved to '' Faxonius'' in 2017. Due to their subterranean habitat, they are usually depigmented, often blind, and are long-lived. Ages of 176 years have been claimed for ''O. australis'', though this was reduced to ≤22 years in a 2012 study.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Orconectes'' was erected in 1872 by

Edward Drinker Cope Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontology, paleontologist, comparative anatomy, comparative anatomist, herpetology, herpetologist, and ichthyology, ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker fam ...

to house ''Astacus pellucidus'' (now '' Orconectes pellucidus'') and his new species, ''

Orconectes inermis ''Orconectes inermis'', the Northern cave crayfish, is a troglomorphic freshwater crayfish native to Kentucky and Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It border ...

''. Prior to the 2017 review by Oxford university, the genus contained 85 species in 11 subgenera. The '' Faxonius'' subgenus was raised to a full genus, and the majority of species formerly recorded as ''Orconectes'' were moved there. Following the review, approximately 8 species are known:

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1311791 Cambaridae Cave crayfish Fauna of the Eastern United States Freshwater crustaceans of North America Crustacean genera Taxa named by Edward Drinker Cope