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Home/Species/ Elk River Crayfish

Cambarus elkensis

Jezerinac and Stocker, 1993

Elk River Crayfish

G3Vulnerable (G3?) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G3VulnerableGlobal Rank
VulnerableIUCN
Medium - lowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.116252
Element CodeICMAL07870
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal
IUCNVulnerable
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumArthropoda
ClassMalacostraca
OrderDecapoda
FamilyCambaridae
GenusCambarus
Concept Reference
Jezerinac, R.F. and G. W. Stocker. 1993. A new species of crayfish (Decapoda:Cambaridae) belonging to the genus CAMBARUS, subgenus HIATICAMBARUS, from the upper Elk River drainage of West Virginia. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 106(2): pp. 346-352.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2023-01-19
Change Date2023-01-19
Edition Date2023-01-18
Edition AuthorsFraser, D.F. (2023); Cordeiro, J. (2010); Morrison, M.; C. Taylor (1996)
Threat ImpactMedium - low
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences21 - 80
Rank Reasons
This species is endemic to one river basin with an estimated 36 occurrences and is threatened by agriculture, mining, gas extraction, mining and the potential of exotic crayfish and introduced fish colonization.
Range Extent Comments
Endemic to the USA. Found in West Virginia in Pocahontas, Randolph, Webster, Braxton, Nicolas, and Clay Counties. The range includes the upper and middle sections of the Elk River main stem and/or tributaries to the Elk River located in the following watersheds: Upper Elk River, Holly River, Middle Elk River, Laurel Creek, Birch River and Lower Elk River (USFWS 2020). The Clay County occurrence is apparently disjunct from the remainder of the population (USFWS 2020).
Occurrences Comments
Using a 2 km separation distance for occurrences, there are at least 36 occurrences likely for this species.
Threat Impact Comments
Climate change is likely the most serious threat for this species and it has been assessed as "moderately vulnerable" to climate change up to 2050, modeling suggests a range reduction of 50% by 2050 (USFWS 2020). These threats include warming water temperatures, droughts and flooding events due to increased high intensity rain events. However, the impact and timing of these threats are difficult to predict. The Elk River Watershed is dominated by agricultural lands, and coal mining, and oil and gas extraction. Flooding is also thought to increase threats to water quality, including sedimentation from land disturbances associated with agriculture, logging, coal mining and development and pollution from oil and gas, mining, agricultural and urban environments (USFWS 2020, Forests for Watershed and Wildlife 2005). Two invasive crayfish species are known to occur in West Virginia, the Virile Crayfish (Orconectes virilis) and the Rusty Crayfish (O. rusticus). Both species have been found in the Elk River drainage system (Loughman and Welsh 2013). Neither of the two invasive crayfish were found in recent surveys for C. elkensis however (USFWS 2020), suggesting that they may not be numerous. Predation on Elk River Crayfish by introduced fishes, particularly Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) likely occurs, however USFWS (2020) concluded that it probably did not cause "species level" effects.
Ecology & Habitat

Description

A relatively small, freshwater, tertiary burrowing crustacean from West Virginia (USFWS 2020).

Habitat

Cambarus elkensis is found in streams and rivers. The type locality was a 10m wide stream, that was 0.5m deep. The substrate was sand, gravels, sandstone boulders and cobbles (USFWS 2020). Specimens where found where there was a strong current, under rocks and cobbles. The vegetation in the banks included alder, birch, hemlock and rhododendron (Jezerinac and Stocker 1993). This species is not found in small head water streams nor is found downstream of a major dam(USFWS 2020). Cambarus elkensis was found with other members of the subgenus Hiaticambarus (Jezerinac et al. 1995). Life history information for this species is documented in Jones and Eversole (2011).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - Hardwood
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
2 - Agriculture & aquaculturePervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
2.3 - Livestock farming & ranchingPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh (continuing)
3 - Energy production & miningUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
3.1 - Oil & gas drillingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
3.2 - Mining & quarryingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh - moderate
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownHigh - moderate
9 - PollutionUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
9.3 - Agricultural & forestry effluentsUnknownUnknownHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Moderate - slightHigh - moderate
11.2 - DroughtsPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh - moderate
11.3 - Temperature extremesPervasive (71-100%)Moderate - slightHigh - moderate
11.4 - Storms & floodingPervasive (71-100%)UnknownHigh - moderate

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Roadless Areas (1)
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Gauley MountainMonongahela National Forest13,285
References (10)
  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. Jezerinac, R.F. and G. W. Stocker. 1993. A new species of crayfish (Decapoda:Cambaridae) belonging to the genus CAMBARUS, subgenus HIATICAMBARUS, from the upper Elk River drainage of West Virginia. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 106(2): pp. 346-352.
  3. Jezerinac, R. F., G. W. Stocker, and D. C. Tarter. 1995. The Crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae) of West Virginia. Bulletin of the Ohio Biological Survey, Vol. 10, No. 1. Ohio Biological Survey, College of Biological Sciences, The Ohio State University, and Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Programs, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Columbus, Ohio. 193 pp.
  4. Jones, D. R., and A. G. Eversole. 2011. Life history characteristics of the Elk River Crayfish. Journal of Crustacean Biology 31(4):647-652.
  5. Loughman, Z.J. and S.A. Welsh. 2010. Distribution and conservation standing of West Virginia crayfishes. Southeastern Naturalist 9 (special issue 3):63-78.
  6. Loughman, Z. J. and S. A. Welsh. 2013. Conservation assessment and atlas of the crayfishes of West Virginia. Final report for the West Virginia Crayfish Conservation Assessment and Atlas. 65 pp.
  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. 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.
  9. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Four Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species. Federal Register 85 (142): 44478-44483.
  10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2020. Species Status Assessment Report for the Elk River Crayfish (<i>Cambarus elkensis</i>), Version 1.1. January 2020. Elkins, WV.