# Cambarus cryptodytes

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Species of crayfish

Cambarus cryptodytes Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Clade: Pancrustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Suborder: Pleocyemata Family: Cambaridae Genus: Cambarus Species: C. cryptodytes Binomial name Cambarus cryptodytes Hobbs, 1941

***Cambarus cryptodytes***, the **Dougherty Plain cave crayfish** or **Apalachicola cave crayfish**, is a small, freshwater [crayfish](/source/Crayfish) [endemic](/source/Endemism) to Florida and Georgia in the United States. It is an underground species known only from waters associated with the [Floridan aquifer](/source/Floridan_aquifer).

## Description

The Dougherty Plain cave crayfish grows to a length of about 53 millimetres (2.1 in) with [antennae](/source/Antenna_(biology)) twice this length. It is a colourless species with unpigmented eyes, segmented [cephalothorax](/source/Cephalothorax) and [abdomen](/source/Abdomen), a pair of slender [chelae](/source/Chela_(organ)) (claws) with a row or two of [tubercles](/source/Tubercle) and long slender [appendages](/source/Appendage). The rostrum is long and unadorned with tubercles or spines.[2][3]

## Distribution

The Dougherty Plain cave crayfish is known from springs, wells and cave systems in the [karst](/source/Karst) limestone region of Dougherty Plain in the [Southeastern United States](/source/Southeastern_United_States). It has been found in [Dougherty County](/source/Dougherty_County%2C_Georgia) and [Decatur County](/source/Decatur_County%2C_Georgia) in Georgia and [Jackson County](/source/Jackson_County%2C_Florida) and [Washington County](/source/Washington_County%2C_Florida) in Florida. It is likely also to be present in other Georgia counties which lie between the two presently-known ranges.[2] A [USGS](/source/USGS) survey of the area, carried out between September 2014 and August 2015, revealed additional sites in [Early](/source/Early_County%2C_Georgia), [Miller](/source/Miller_County%2C_Georgia), [Mitchell](/source/Mitchell_County%2C_Georgia), and [Seminole](/source/Seminole_County%2C_Georgia) counties.[4]

## Biology

Little is known of the biology of this crayfish. It is probably an opportunistic [omnivorous](/source/Omnivore) scavenger and may feed on the [Georgia blind salamander](/source/Georgia_blind_salamander) (*Eurycea wallacei*) which shares the same range.[2] It has a low [metabolic rate](/source/Metabolism), perhaps associated with the limited availability of food, and consequently it is possible that it may live for twenty years or more. Males with ripe [gonads](/source/Gonad) have been found between July and October but females bearing eggs, juveniles or sub-adults have not been found in the wild.[3] However, a full breeding cycle has been observed in captivity in the lab. This was the first breeding record for a [troglomorphic](/source/Troglomorphic) crayfish.[5]

## Status

In 1996 this species was listed as "[Vulnerable](/source/Vulnerable_species)" in the [IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List_of_Threatened_Species) but following the discovery that its range is wider than originally thought, it was in 2010 recategorised as being of "[Least concern](/source/Least_concern)" on the grounds that it has a broad range and is common within that range. It seems to be able to live in water with low oxygen levels and may be widespread in the aquifer away from locations that open to the surface.[1] Potential threats include removal of water from the aquifer for human use and contamination of the water by pesticides and excess nutrients from agricultural operations.[1]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_13_November_2021_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_13_November_2021_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-iucn_status_13_November_2021_1-2) Cordeiro, J.; Crandall, K.A.; Jones, T.; Skelton, C. & Thoma, R.F. (2010). ["*Cambarus cryptodytes*"](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3691/10023413). *[IUCN Red List of Threatened Species](/source/IUCN_Red_List)*. **2010** e.T3691A10023413. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T3691A10023413.en](https://doi.org/10.2305%2FIUCN.UK.2010-3.RLTS.T3691A10023413.en). Retrieved 13 November 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-College_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-College_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-College_2-2) ["Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130522114415/http://www.gcsu.edu/crayfishes/dougherty.htm#). *Crayfishes of Georgia*. Georgia College. 2012-09-01. Archived from [the original](http://www.gcsu.edu/crayfishes/dougherty.htm) on 2013-05-22. Retrieved 2013-07-06.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wildlife_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wildlife_3-1) ["Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish"](https://web.archive.org/web/20100611071228/http://naturalhistory.uga.edu/~GMNH/gawildlife/index.php?page=speciespages%2Fai_species_page&key=ccryptodytes#). *Georgia Wildlife*. Georgia Museum of Natural History. 2008. Archived from [the original](http://naturalhistory.uga.edu/~GMNH/gawildlife/index.php?page=speciespages/ai_species_page&key=ccryptodytes) on 2010-06-11. Retrieved 2013-07-06.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Dante B. Fenolio; Matthew L. Niemiller; Andrew G. Gluesenkamp; Anna M. McKee & Steven J. Taylor. ["New distributional records of the stygobitic crayfish *Cambarus cryptodytes* (Decapoda: Cambaridae) in the Floridan Aquifer System of southwestern Georgia"](https://www.usgs.gov/publications/new-distributional-records-stygobitic-crayfish-cambarus-cryptodytes-decapoda). *usgs.gov*. USGS. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1656/058.016.0205](https://doi.org/10.1656%2F058.016.0205).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Danté B. Fenolio; Matthew L. Niemiller & Benjamin Martinez (January 2014). ["Observations of reproduction in captivity by the Dougherty Plain Cave Crayfish, *Cambarus cryptodytes*, (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae)"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260187003_Observations_of_reproduction_in_captivity_by_the_Dougherty_Plain_Cave_Crayfish_Cambarus_cryptodytes_Decapoda_Astacoidea_Cambaridae). *Speleobiology Notes*. **6**: 14–26.

Taxon identifiers Cambarus cryptodytes Wikidata: Q4467676 BOLD: 151830 CoL: 7RTXM EoL: 343941 GBIF: 2227320 iNaturalist: 96550 IRMNG: 10458671 ITIS: 97358 IUCN: 3691 NatureServe: 2.110617 NCBI: 341240 Open Tree of Life: 389360 SeaLifeBase: 26258 WoRMS: 885162

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cambarus cryptodytes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambarus_cryptodytes) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambarus_cryptodytes?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.