Procambarus acutus explained

Procambarus acutus, the white river crayfish, is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. 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)^[1]
• Procambarus acutus cuevachicae (Hobbs, 1941)^{[1] [2]}

Distribution

Native

Procambarus acutus is native to parts of the United States. It has a disjunct native distribution which includes the Atlantic Slope, as well as the southern Great Lakes drainages to the Gulf of Mexico.^{[3] [4]} On the Atlantic Slope, P. acutus occurs from Maine to Georgia into Canada.^[4] Procambarus acutus also occurs from southern Wisconsin and Michigan through Kentucky and Missouri to western Texas and the Florida panhandle.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Introduced

Procambarus acutus has spread beyond the American states it is native to and is now found in most of the Continental US.^[6]

These crayfish are also found in Egypt,^[6] Great Britain, and the Netherlands^[6] however there is insufficient information at this time to assess their degree of establishment or invasiveness. Invasion is possible.^[6]

The species was first located in Belgium in 2019. Specifically, the subspecies P. a. acutus was found. This sighting in East Flanders 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.^[7]

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

Further reading

• Zoogeography, taxonomy, and conservation of West Virginia's Ohio River floodplain crayfishes (Decapoda, Cambaridae). 2011. Loughman . Z.. Simon . T.. ZooKeys. 74. 1–78. 10.3897/zookeys.74.808. 3088040. 21594135. free.
• An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). 1989. Hobbs . Horton H. Jr.. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 480. 1–236. 10.5479/si.00810282.480.
• Annotated checklist of decapod crustaceans of Atlantic coastal and continental shelf waters of the United States. 2003. Nizinski . Martha S.. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 116. 1. 96–157. 0006-324X.

Notes and References

1. Web site: White River Crayfish (Procambarus acutus) Ecological Risk Screening Summary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, July 2015 .
2. Web site: ITIS Standard Report Page: Procambarus acutus cuevachicae .
3. Book: Hobbs, Jr., H.H. . 1989 . An illustrated checklist of the American crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480 . 1–236 .
4. Book: Taylor . C.A. . G.A. . Schuster . 2004 . The crayfishes of Kentucky . Illinois Natural History Survey . Champaign, IL .
5. Web site: Benson, A. 2015. Procambarus acutus acutus. USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, Florida. (July 2015). .
6. Web site: Procambarus acutus acutus - CABI Invasive Species Compendium .
7. Web site: Scheers K, Boets P, Abeel T, Van den Neucker T (2020) First records of alien crayfish of the Procambarus acutus species complex in Belgium. BioInvasions Records 9(3): 562–569, DOI 10. 3391/bir.2020.9.3.11 .