Home/Species/ Mitten Crayfish

Cambarus asperimanus

Faxon, 1914

Mitten Crayfish

G4Apparently Secure Found in 6 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

LowThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.120783

Element CodeICMAL07360

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicendemic to a single nation

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumArthropoda

ClassMalacostraca

OrderDecapoda

FamilyCambaridae

GenusCambarus

Concept Reference

Hobbs, H. H., Jr. 1989. An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480:1-236.

Conservation Status

Review Date2010-05-17

Change Date1996-02-19

Edition Date2010-05-17

Edition AuthorsCordeiro, J.

Threat ImpactLow

Range Extent5000-20,000 square km (about 2000-8000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

This species is widely distributed and abundant within the southern Appalachian Mountains of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and parts of Tennessee and faces no immediate threats and appears stable.

Range Extent Comments

Range is mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, in the headwaters of the French Broad, Little Tennessee, Catawba, Broad, Saluda, and Savannah rivers, and also in the Watuaga Basin in Tennessee (Hobbs, 1989).

Occurrences Comments

It occurs in seepage areas and mountain streams; mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, in the headwaters of the French Broad, Little Tennessee, Catawba, Broad, Saluda, and Savannah Rivers systems, and in the Watauga River basin in Tennessee (Eversole and Jones, 2004). It is widely distributed in western North Carolina, where it is known from the Little Tennessee River basin east to the Yadkin Pee-Dee River basin (all except Hiwassee); most recently 2 of 12 stream sites in the Little Tennessee River basin (Tuckasegee River system, Jackson Co.), 3 of 46 stream sites in the French Broad River basin, one of 35 sites in the Catawba River basin, and 6 of 27 stream sites in the Broad River basin (Simmons and Fraley, 2010). There is no population data available for Cambarus asperimanus, although it has been described as 'the most common of the other crayfish' found associated with C. chaugaensis (Rare Crayfish survey). It is considered the most common species in first order streams (R. Thoma, T. Jones, pers. comm., 2009).

Threat Impact Comments

There are no known threats on this species.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Inner margin of palm of chela with single row of 5-6 tubercles; 2-4 pounctations in narrowest part of areola; terminal elemets of male first pleopod bent about 135 degrees, central projection lacking apical notch (Hobbs, 1981). [LENGTH: to 29 TCL; to 55 TL] [WIDTH: to 20]

Diagnostic Characteristics

Single row of 5-6 tubercles on inner margin of palm; central projection lacking subapical notch; suborbital angle lacking (Hobbs, 1981).

Habitat

It has been described in seepage areas, mountain streams, and first order streams. It has also been found in quieter headwaters of North and South Carolina and Georgia. It is frequently in burrows (secondary burrower) and tunnels in rock debris of cascading areas of streams. In North Carolina, it prefers small headwater streams of moderate to high gradient at higher elevations (Simmons and Fraley, 2010).

Reproduction

Spawning known from April, June, & December. Exact mating time unknown; widely spaced spawning females probably do not indicate year-round spawning. In North Carolina, Form I males were collected during June, August, and November in 13-16C (Simmons and Fraley, 2010).

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Georgia	S2	Yes
South Carolina	S4	Yes
North Carolina	S4	Yes
Tennessee	S4	Yes

Roadless Areas (6)

Georgia (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Rocky Mountain	Chattahoochee National Forest	4,269

North Carolina (5)

Area	Forest	Acres
Bearwallow	Pisgah National Forest	4,113
Harper Creek	Pisgah National Forest	7,325
Jarrett Creek	Pisgah National Forest	7,485
Overflow Creek	Nantahala National Forest	3,379
Tusquitee Bald	Nantahala National Forest	13,670

References (9)

Cooper, J.E. 2010. Annotated checklist of the crayfishes of North Carolina, and correlations of distributions with hydrologic units and physiographic provinces. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science 126(3):69-76.
Cooper, J. E., and A. L. Braswell. 1995. Observations of North Carolina crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae). Brimleyana 22:87-132.
Crandall, K. A., and S. De Grave. 2017. An updated classification of the freshwater crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidea) of the world, with a complete species list. Journal of Crustacean Biology 37(5):615-653.
Eversole, A.G. and D.R. Jones. 2004. Key to the crayfish of South Carolina. Unpublished report. Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina. 43 pp.
Hobbs, H.H., Jr. 1981. The crayfishes of Georgia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 318: 1-549.
Hobbs, H. H., Jr. 1989. An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480:1-236.
McLaughlin, P. A., D. K. Camp, M. V. Angel, E. L. Bousfield, P. Brunel, R. C. Brusca, D. Cadien, A. C. Cohen, K. Conlan, L. G. Eldredge, D. L. Felder, J. W. Goy, T. Haney, B. Hann, R. W. Heard, E. A. Hendrycks, H. H. Hobbs III, J. R. Holsinger, B. Kensley, D. R. Laubitz, S. E. LeCroy, R. Lemaitre, R. F. Maddocks, J. W. Martin, P. Mikkelsen, E. Nelson, W. A. Newman, R. M. Overstreet, W. J. Poly, W. W. Price, J. W. Reid, A. Robertson, D. C. Rogers, A. Ross, M. Schotte, F. Schram, C. Shih, L. Watling, G. D. F. Wilson, and D. D. Turgeon. 2005. Common and Scientific Names of Aquatic Invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Crustaceans. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 31. 545 pp.
Simmons, J.W. and S.J. Fraley. 2010. Distribution, status, and life-history observations of crayfishes in western North Carolina. Southeastern Naturalist 9 (special issue 3):79-126.
Taylor, C. A., G. A. Schuster, J. E. Cooper, R. J. DiStefano, A. G. Eversole, P. Hamr, H. H. Hobbs III, H. W. Robison, C. E. Skelton, and R. F. Thoma. 2007. A reassessment of the conservation status of crayfishes of the United States and Canada after 10+ years of increased awareness. Fisheries 32(8):371-389.