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]
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]
The 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:
| 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 |