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Cambarus coosawattae

Hobbs, 1981

Coosawattae Crayfish

G2Imperiled (G2G3) Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
Near threatenedIUCN
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.117215
Element CodeICMAL07420
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal
IUCNNear threatened
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
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
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-02-29
Change Date2024-02-29
Edition Date2024-02-29
Edition AuthorsFitzpatrick, J.F., Jr.; C. Taylor; Cordeiro, J. (2010); rev. T. Cornelisse (2024)
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
This species has a restricted range and several threats, but a moderate number of occurrences and populations appear stable, at least in the long-term.
Range Extent Comments
This species occurs in north central Georgia, USA in the upper Coosawattee watershed in Gilmer County (Hobbs 1981; GBIF 2024; SCAN 2024; InvertEBase 2024).
Occurrences Comments
This species is known from at least approximately 32 occurrences using a 2 km separation distance and records from 1994-2024 (InvertEBase 2024; SCAN 2024; GBIF 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
The species is threatened by urban development, including a deforestation plan for development proposed for 2030, and confined area feed operations along the watershed as well as some habitat fragmentation due to reservoirs (Cordeiro et al. 2010).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

This species is found in moderately flowing streams predominantly in riffle areas under small to medium-sized rocks (Schuster 2001).
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentLarge - restrictedModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasLarge - restrictedModerate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7 - Natural system modificationsRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useRestricted (11-30%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
9 - PollutionLarge (31-70%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsLarge (31-70%)Serious - moderateHigh (continuing)

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Roadless Areas (2)
Georgia (2)
AreaForestAcres
Ken MountainChattahoochee National Forest527
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
References (11)
  1. Cordeiro, J., Skelton, C., and R.F. Thoma 2010. Cambarus coosawattae. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T3690A10022311. Online. Available: https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T3690A10022311.en. Accessed 2024.
  2. 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.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. Hobbs, H.H., Jr. 1981. The crayfishes of Georgia. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 318: 1-549.
  5. Hobbs, H. H., Jr. 1989. An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480:1-236.
  6. InvertEBase. 2024. Online. Available: https://invertebase.org/portal/index.php.
  7. 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.
  8. Schuster, G.A. 2001. A study of the current status of two species of crayfishes, <i>Cambarus coosawattae</i>, and <i>Cambarus speciosus</i>, both endemic to the Coosawattee River system, in northern Georgia. Final Report, Georgia Forest Watch, Ellijay, Georgia. 9 pp.
  9. Symbiota Collections of Arthropods Network (SCAN). 2024. A data portal built to visualize, manipulate, and export species occurrences. Online: http://scan-bugs.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 2024
  10. 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.
  11. Voshell, J.R. 2002. A guide to common freshwater invertebrates of North America. McDonald and Woodward Publishing Company, Granville, Ohio, USA: 442 pp.