Faxonius neglectus

Placed in the genus Faxonius by Crandall and De Grave (2017). Two subspecies are recognized, F. n. neglectus and F. n. chaenodactylus.

Orconectes neglectus is native to the White River and Spring River (Neosho) drainages in the western Ozark region of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas (Pflieger, 1996). It was introduced into the Spring River (Black) drainage of Arkansas and Missouri sometime after 1984 and spread throughout the lower portion of the West Fork and into portions of the South Fork Spring River. It is common and spreading through introduction. This is a generalist crayfish species with a wide distribution that continues to expand. There are no major threats for this species.

Orconectes neglectus is native to the White River and Spring River (Neosho) drainages in the western Ozark region of Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas (Pflieger, 1996). It was introduced into the Spring River (Black) drainage of Arkansas and Missouri sometime after 1984 and spread throughout the lower portion of the West Fork and into portions of the South Fork Spring River. Range of Orconectes neglectus neglectus includes from the Ozark Highlands in northeastern Oklahoma, northwestern Arkansas, and southwestern Missouri (Arkansas and White River drainages) to tributaries of the Kansas River drainage in Kansas, Kebraska and eastern Colorado (Hobbs, 1989); with recent records from the Red River drainage (190 km southwest) in Oklahoma (Taylor et al., 2004).

This crayfish was recently reported as an exotic in western Colorado in most counties west of the Continental Divide in systems that eventually empty into the Colorado River (Sovell and Guralnick, 2005). In Kansas, it occurs in the Republican River basin in Cheyenne and Decature Cos., the Kansas River basin in Wabaunsee, Riley, Pottawatomie, and Mitchell Cos., and the Spring River basin in Cherokee and Crawford Cos. (Ghedotti, 1998). In the Neosho River drainage in Kansas, O. neglectus occurs in teh eastern one-half of the Spring River drainage whereas O. virilis occurs in the western part outside of the Ozark Plateau (Durbian et al., 1994). It has been introduced into the Spring River drainage of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas (Magoulick and DiStefano, 2007). In Missouri, it occurs from the North Fork of White River in Howell Co., westward through the White and Spring (Neosho) River basins (Pflieger, 1996). In a recent survey in northwest Arkansas targeting Orconectes williamsi, Orconectes neglectus neglectus was found at 43 of 68 sites surveyed (Wagner et al., 2010). It has been introduced to New York in tributaries of the upper Croton River of the lower Hudson River drainage in Putnam and Duchess Cos. not far from the Connecticut border (Daniels et al., 2001). It is common and has also been introduced widely. Orconectes neglectus neglectus is endemic to Colorado, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma; and has been introduced to Oregon (formerly considered distinct as O. transfuga- see Bouchard, 1977) into the Rogue River Basin where it is well established, and recently the John Day River (Rogers, 2005).

There are no known threats impacting Orconectes neglectus.