![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Crayfish
Benthic Macroinvertebrates
Sensitive Benthos
Moderately Tolerant Benthos
Pollution Tolerant Benthos
Crayfish
Description:
resemble miniature "lobsters"; possess four pairs of walking legs and a pair of strong pinchers; color can be brown, green, reddish, or black; length up to 6 inches.
Reproduction:
females carry eggs in a mass underneath their tail, which resembles a large "raspberry."
Food:
omnivorous, eating plants and animals; pinchers are used for tearing food into edible chunks; crayfish are preyed upon by larger game fish.
Scientific Name:
Class: Crustacea
Order: Decapoda
Indicator Role:
Indicates moderately clean water; seldomly found in polluted waters.
Information Source:
McDonald, B., W. Borden, J. Lathrop.1990. Citizen Stream Monitoring: A Manual for Illinois. Illinois Department of Energy and Natural Resources, ILENR/RE-WR-90/18. Springfield, Illinois.
Other Links:
- Key to the Freshwater Malacostraca (Crustacea) of the Mid-Atlantic Region (EPA-260-R-08-017, November 2008) (56pp, 2 MB, About PDF)
- Crayfish Conservation Page
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency crayfish creature
- Crayfish inThe Stream Study by the University of Virginia
- Crayfish homepage (Brigham Young University)
- Missouri Botanical Gardens aquatic critters - crayfish
- Crayfish, Scuds and Sowbugs by the Lackawanna River Corridor Association