Distribution, Status, and Life-History Observations of Crayfishes in Western North Carolina

Abstract

Abstract Approximately 390 native North American crayfish species are known, representing nearly two-thirds of the world&s crayfish fauna. The majority of these species occur in the southeastern United States. North Carolina supports a substantial proportion of that diversity with 41 described indigenous crayfish species, 12 of which are endemic, and 3 introduced species, many of which are of significant conservation interest. In the late 1990s, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) began a focused effort to inventory and establish baselines for monitoring populations of both native stream-dwelling and burrowing crayfishes and invasive non-native species. During 2004–2005, that effort was completed for the Hiwassee, Little Tennessee, Savannah, French Broad, Watauga, New, Catawba, and Broad river basins in western North Carolina. Twenty-four stream-dwelling species and 5 burrowing species were collected from 199 stream sites and 58 burrowing sites. New records for many species, including...