Cambarus ectopistes sp. nov., a new stream-dwelling crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the French Broad, Pigeon, and Nolichucky River watersheds in the Appalachian Mountain region of North Carolina and Tennessee, USA.

Abstract

The Cataloochee Crayfish, Cambarus ectopistes sp. nov., is a large, stream-dwelling crayfish that occupies a narrow noncontiguous distribution within the Appalachian Mountain region running through the Upper Tennessee River basin, in the French Broad, Pigeon, and Nolichucky watersheds along the Tennessee and North Carolina border. It is split from the southernmost extent of the C. robustus species complex, and is morphologically and genetically most similar to a second undescribed member of the group endemic to the upper Nolichucky River watershed in North Carolina. Cambarus ectopistes sp. nov. can be distinguished from other members of the C. robustus complex and co-distributed congeners by a combination of characters, including body size, coloration, and morphology of the chela and rostrum. The new species is typically found in channel and edge habitats of moderate to large perennial streams with large cobbles and boulders.