Home/Species/ Knotty Burrowing Crayfish

Cambarus nodosus

Bouchard and Hobbs, 1976

Knotty Burrowing Crayfish

G4Apparently Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

UnknownThreat Impact

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.111681

Element CodeICMAL07660

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 Date2009-07-01

Change Date1996-02-19

Edition Date2009-07-01

Edition AuthorsCordeiro, J.

Threat ImpactUnknown

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

Number of Occurrences81 - 300

Rank Reasons

Cambarus nodosus is considered a species of lower conservation concern. This species has a large inferred extent of occurrence (<20,000 sq. km) owing to the number of states and river basins it inhabits. It is also a tolerant species able to breed in ditches and seepage areas, therefore unlikely to be severely affected by any major threats.

Range Extent Comments

Known to occur in headwaters of the Savannah, Hiwassee, and Chattahoochee river drainages in Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia (Hobbs, 1989).

Occurrences Comments

In North Carolina, it is known from around five localities: three of which are clumped closely in southwestern Cherokee County and the other 2 localities were discovered recently in southeastern Cherokee County and in Clay County, east of Chatuge Reservoir (Simmons and Fraley, 2010). LeGrand et al. (2006) cites seepages and other mucky areas in Hiwassee drainage, North Carolina. It occurs in South Carolina in the extreme northwest corner of the state (Eversole and Jones, 2004). It was described from an unnamed tributary of North Potato Creek (Hiwassee River system via Ocoee River), in Polk Co., Tennessee; and was then known from the Hiwassee (Ocoee, Nottely, and Toccoa River basins), Savannah (Chatooga and Tugaloo River basins), and Chattahoochee River systems in Tennessee (Polk Co.), North Carolina (Cherokee Co.), and Georgia (Lumpkin, Towns, Union, White Cos.) (Bouchard and Hobbs, 1976).

Threat Impact Comments

As Cambarus nodosus is able to tolerate and even breed with all of the associated threats of living in a ditch it is likely that this species is not currently impacted by any major threats. No major threats have been reported for this species.

Ecology & Habitat

Description

Pigmented, eyes normal; rostrum spatulate, lacking marginal spines or tubercles, acumen poorly defined, acarinate; cervical spine represented by small tubercle, hepatic spines absent; areola moderately broad with 2-4 punctations in narrowest part; chela inflated with 2 rows of setae along mesial margin, mesialmost of <8 and giving subserrate appearance; male 3rd pereiopod only with hook on ischium, coxa of 4th with prominent caudomesial boss; male first pleopod terminating in 2 elements, both directed at about right angles to main axis of pleopod, central projection bladelike and with distinct subapical notch, mesial process longer tumescent and tapering to acute tip (Bouchard and Hobbs, 1976). [LENGTH: to 37 TCL, to 70 TL] [WIDTH: to 17]

Diagnostic Characteristics

Pigmented, eyes normal; rostrum spatulate; cervical spine reduced to small tubercle; moderately wide areola; chela with 2 rows of tubercles along mesial margin, mesialmost <8; male 3rd pereiopod only with hook, coxa of 4th with prominent caudomesial boss; male 1st pleopod terminatin in 2 caudally directed elements, central projection with distinct subapical notch, laonger mesial process tumescent and tapering to acute tip.

Habitat

Cambarus nodosus is a primary burrowing crayfish which is found in pools, seepage areas and occasionally in the riffle areas of streams. This species can also be found in sphagnum bogs. The substrate of the river is sand and mica with stretches of bed rock and scattered small to large rocks (Bouchard and Hobbs 1976). This species is probably a generalist as females with eggs and young has been found in ditches next to roads in more than one locality (Bouchard and Hobbs 1976).

Ecology

Mostly in burrows, but also under rocks in pools and slow runs and along banks.

Reproduction

Reproductively active males in Apr, Jun, Oct-Dec; ovigerous and brooding females in Jun; no data on amplexus.

Palustrine Habitats

Riparian

Other Nations (1)

United StatesN4

Province	Rank	Native
Georgia	S2	Yes
South Carolina	S1	Yes
Tennessee	S4	Yes
North Carolina	S1	Yes

Roadless Areas (2)

Georgia (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Boggs Creek	Chattahoochee National Forest	2,073
Helton Creek	Chattahoochee National Forest	2,348

References (9)

Bouchard, R. W. and H. H. Hobbs, Jr. 1976. A new subgenus and two new species of crayfishes of the genus <i>Cambarus</i> (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the southeastern United States. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 224:1-15.
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.
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. 1989. An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480:1-236.
LeGrand, H.E., Jr., S.P. Hall, S.E. McRae, and J.T. Finnegan. 2006. Natural Heritage Program List of the Rare Animal Species of North Carolina. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh, North Carolina. 104 pp.
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.