Orconectes is a genus of cave dwelling freshwater crayfish, endemic to suitable habitats in the eastern United States. Surface dwelling species, formerly categorised here, were moved to Faxonius in 2017.[1]
| Orconectes | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Cambaridae |
| Genus: | Orconectes Cope, 1872 |
| Type species | |
| Orconectes inermis Cope, 1872
| |
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.[2]
Taxonomy
editThe genus Orconectes was erected in 1872 by Edward Drinker Cope to house Astacus pellucidus (now Orconectes pellucidus) and his new species, Orconectes inermis.[3]
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:[1]
| Scientific name | Authority | Common name | Red List status[4] | Type locality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O. australis | (Rhoades, 1941) | southern cave crayfish | Shelta Cavern, Madison County, Alabama | |
| O. barri | Buhay & Crandall, 2008 | Cumberland Plateau cave crayfish | Tonya's Cave, Wayne County, Kentucky | |
| O. incomptus | Hobbs & Barr, 1972 | Tennessee cave crayfish | Cherry Cave, Jackson County, Tennessee | |
| O. inermis | Cope, 1872 | ghost crayfish | Wyandotte Caves, Crawford County, Indiana | |
| O. i. testii | (Hay, 1891) | unarmed crayfish | Mayfield's Cave, Monroe County, Indiana | |
| O. packardi | Rhoades, 1944 | Appalachian cave crayfish | Cumberland Crystal Cave, Pulaski County, Kentucky | |
| O. pellucidus | (Tellkampf, 1844) | Mammoth Cave crayfish | Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky | |
| O. sheltae | Cooper & Cooper, 1997 | Shelta cave crayfish | Shelta Cave, Madison County, Alabama | |
| O. stygocaneyi | Hobbs III, 2001 | Caney Mountain cave crayfish | Mud Cave, Caney Mountain Conservation Area, Ozark County, Missouri |
References
edit- ^ a b Keith A Crandall; Sammy De Grave. "An updated classification of the freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidea) of the world, with a complete species list". The Crayfish and Lobster Taxonomy Browser. Oxford University Press.
- ^ Michael P. Venarsky (2012). "Re-examining extreme longevity of the cave crayfish Orconectes australis using new mark–recapture data: a lesson on the limitations of iterative size-at-age models". Freshwater Biology. 57 (7): 1471–1481. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2427.2012.02812.x.
- ^ Keith A. Crandall; James W. Fetzner, Jr.; Horton H. Hobbs, Jr. (2001). "Orconectes Cope, 1872". Tree of Life Web Project.
- ^ "Search". IUCN Red List. IUCN. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
External links
editData related to Orconectes at Wikispecies