''Procambarus acutus'', the white river crayfish, is a species 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 ...

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 found in North America and Europe. The IUCN conservation status of ''Procambarus acutus'' is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The IUCN status was reviewed in 2010.

Subspecies

These two subspecies belong to the species ''Procambarus acutus'': * ''Procambarus acutus acutus'' (Girard, 1852) (white river crayfish) * ''Procambarus acutus cuevachicae'' (Hobbs, 1941)

Distribution

Native

''Procambarus acutus'' is native to parts of the

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 ...

. It has a disjunct native distribution which includes the Atlantic Slope, as well as the southern Great Lakes drainages to the Gulf of Mexico. On the Atlantic Slope, ''P. acutus'' occurs from Maine to Georgia into Canada. ''Procambarus acutus'' also occurs from southern Wisconsin and Michigan through Kentucky and Missouri to western Texas and the Florida panhandle.

Introduced

''Procambarus acutus'' has spread beyond the American states it is native to and is now found in most of the

Continental US The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America. The ter ...

. These crayfish are also found in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, and

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

however there is insufficient information at this time to assess their degree of establishment or invasiveness. Invasion is possible. The species was first located in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

in 2019. Specifically, the subspecies ''P. a. acutus'' was found. This sighting in

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

makes it the fourth confirmed location outside of the US. Although it has become established elsewhere, and is potentially invasive in East Flanders, it is not yet certain that it is invading or even established in that location.

References

External links

Benson, A. 2015. Procambarus acutus acutus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, Florida. (July 2015).

Procambarus acutus acutus - CABI Invasive Species Compendium

ITIS Standard Report Page: Procambarus acutus

ITIS Standard Report Page: Procambarus acutus acutus

ITIS Standard Report Page: Procambarus acutus cuevachicae

White River Crayfish (Procambarus acutus) Ecological Risk Screening Summary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, July 2015