Cambarus ludovicianus Faxon, 1884

Morehouse, Reid L. & Tobler, Michael, 2013, Crayfishes (Decapoda: Cambaridae) of Oklahoma: identification, distributions, and natural history, Zootaxa 3717 (2), pp. 101-157 : 123

Cambarus ludovicianus Faxon, 1884 : Painted Devil Crayfish

General charateristics. Adults rarely exceed 94 mm in total length. The carapace is approximately equal in length to the abdomen, bullet shaped in dorsal view, and laterally compressed. The head is narrower than the thorax and the areola is closed. The rostrum is broad and deeply excavated with a short acumen that lacks spines or tubercles. The lateral edge of the second abdominal segment is straight. Chelae are large and heavy, with the dactyl about twice as long as the palm length. The dactyl has a broad notch at the base, which is most prominent in form I males. In form I males, the central projection of the gonopod is corneous, recurved approximately 90° to shaft, short, and bladelike. In females, the annulus ventralis is subrhombodial in outline, and the cephalic and caudal margins are broadly rounded. A deep circular central area and oval fossa are also present in the annulus ventralis (Taylor & Schuster, 2004).

Life coloration. The base color of the chelae, carapace, and abdomen can range from olive-drab to a deep blue ( Figure 33 ). The rostrum, cervical groove, and areola are outlined in red to burgundy. The abdomen has three evenly spaced light tan to red longitudinal bands running the entire length. Telson and uropods are outlined in red. The ventral side is a light tan to white.

Similar species. In Oklahoma, C. ludovicianus closely resembles C. diogenes (see C. diogenes section for differences).

Distribution and habitat. Hobbs (1989) listed the range of C. ludovicianus as the lower Mississippi River drainage in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and eastern Texas. Cambarus ludovicianus has also been reported from one location in western Kentucky (Taylor & Schuster, 2004). In Oklahoma, this species is only known from 3 locations in McCurtain County and 1 location in LeFlore County (Morehouse & Tobler, In Press). Our ecological niche model suggests that the species may be found further west in adjacent counties along Red River and further north into the Ouachita Mountains ( Figure 34 ). Cambarus ludovicianus is a primary burrower. The sites where we collected this species from burrows were wooded bank areas along creeks. According to Penn and Marlow (1959), C. ludovicianus habitat closely resembles that of C. diogenes .

Life history.Life history. Ovigerous females have not been collected from Oklahoma. We have collected form I males, adult females, and juveniles in March, April, May, and November. Form I males have been collected in Louisiana from February through November, and ovigerous females were collected in December and January (Penn & Marlow, 1959).

Syntopic species. Orconectes palmeri longimanus , Procambarus acutus , and Procambarus dupratzi .

Conservation status. AFS: Currently Stable; Heritage Rank: Widespread (G5); IUCN: Least Concern; ODWC: Not Listed.

Additional resources. Marlow (1960); Reimer & Clark (1974).

Figures

FIGURES 29 – 36. 29. Cambarellus puer 30. Potential distribution of Cambarellus puer 31. Cambarus diogenes 32. Potential distribution of Cambarus diogenes 33. Cambarus ludovicianus 34. Potential distribution of Cambarus ludovicianus 35. Cambarus subterraneus 36. Potential distribution of Cambarus subterraneus (distribution map was not made for this species due to it subterranean lifestyle; climatic variables outside the cave systems do not accurately represent the climate within the cave).