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Cambarus coosae

Hobbs, 1981

Coosa Crayfish

G5Secure Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.118536
Element CodeICMAL07410
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 Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
It occurs in a wide range of habitat types but is restricted to the Coosa River system in Georgia and Tennessee and south into Alabama (range extent 15,000-20,000 sq. km) and is often abundant and faces few threats although is not tolerant of pollution.
Range Extent Comments
Restricted to the Coosa River system in Georgia and Tennessee and south into Alabama (Hobbs, 1989).
Occurrences Comments
In Alabama, known from Mobile, Alabama, Cahaba, and Coosa River systems (Mirarchi et al., 2004; in appendix 1-2 published separately; Schuster and Taylor, 2004; Schuster et al., 2008).
Threat Impact Comments
Evidence suggests that Cambarus coosae has a low tolerance to changes in dissolved oxygen concentration, with a lower tolerance level of 3.6 mg/l (Hobbs 1981). This means that Cambarus coosae is sensitive to oxygen level changes due to pollution, this thought to have reduced the range of Cambarus coosae in the Conasauga River where there is a high level of industrial pollution (Hobbs 1981).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cambarus coosae is found in shady streams with sandy, rock littered botttoms and clear, swiftly moving water (Hobbs 1981). This species uses rocks as cover (Hobbs 1981) in both large rivers and shallow brooks. This species lives in streams under rocks (Schuster and Taylor, 2004).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlabamaS4Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
TennesseeS3Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
9.2 - Industrial & military effluentsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (1)
Georgia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
References (6)
  1. 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.
  2. Hobbs, H. H., Jr. 1989. An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480:1-236.
  3. 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.
  4. Mirarchi, R.E., M.A. Bailey, J.T. Garner, T.M. Haggerty, T.L. Best, M.F. Mettee, and P. O'Neil. 2004d. Alabama Wildlife. Volume Four: Conservation and Management Recommendations for Imperiled Wildlife. University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Alabama. 221 pp.
  5. Schuster, G. A. and C.A. Taylor. 2004. Report on the crayfishes of Alabama: literature and museum database review, species list with abbreviated annotations and proposed conservation statuses. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report, 2004(12): 47 pp.
  6. 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.