Procambarus liberorum explained

Procambarus liberorum is a species of crayfish in the family Cambaridae. It is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in Arkansas and Oklahoma. It is known commonly as the Osage burrowing crayfish.

Distribution

In Arkansas, P. liberorum is found in the Boston Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, and Arkansas Valley, as far east as Lonoke County. It was discovered in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, in 2006.^[1]

Taxonomic history

Procambarus liberorum was originally described from three specimens caught by a cat in Bentonville, Arkansas.^[2]

The species Procambarus ferrugineus was considered to be an endangered species on the IUCN Red List, but it is now known to be identical to the widespread and secure P. liberorum,^[3] which is listed as a least-concern species.

Notes and References

1. Henry W. Robinson . Chris T. McAllister . amp . 2006 . First record of the Osage burrowing crayfish, Procambarus liberorum Fitzpatrick (Decapoda: Cambaridae), in Oklahoma . . 86 . 87–88 .
2. Book: Henry W. Robison . Robert T. Allen . amp . 1995 . Only in Arkansas: a study of the endemic plants and animals of the state . . 978-1-55728-326-9 . Procambarus liberorum Fitzpatrick 1978:533 . 59 . https://books.google.com/books?id=CLdM3P_AdDEC&pg=PA59.
3. Keith A. Crandall. Keith A. Crandall . Henry W. Robison . Jennifer E. Buhay . amp . 2009 . Avoidance of extinction through nonexistence: the use of museum specimens and molecular genetics to determine the taxonomic status of an endangered freshwater crayfish . . 10 . 1 . 177–189 . 10.1007/s10592-008-9546-9. 40302302 .