Extension of the geographical range of the primary burrowing crayfish Cambarus strigosus Hobbs, 1981 (Decapoda: Astacidea: Cambaridae) in South Carolina

Abstract

Abstract Knowledge of the geographical distribution for many primary burrowing crayfishes is often limited to information presented in species descriptions or field notes associated with epigean crayfish surveys. Cambarus strigosusHobbs, 1981, a rare primary burrowing crayfish, was collected as part of a survey of the Sumter National Forest, South Carolina (SC), USA. Prior to this discovery, C. strigosus appeared to be endemic to mid-reaches of the Broad River Drainage in Georgia (GA). We conducted additional field sampling in SC and GA and used mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to compare the relative genetic distance between individuals across all populations in an effort to determine the identity of the specimens collected. Genetic data indicated that the crayfish collected in SC was C. strigosus, with one shared haplotype between SC and GA populations. Our genetic results exhibited geographic structuring and indicated that SC populations have a specific haplotype unique to them, providing strong evidence that SC populations are not introduced. Two additional SC records of C. strigosus from 1983 housed in the US National Museum were examined and determined to be C. strigosus. With these records, we hypothesized that like in GA, the distribution of C. strigosus in SC is limited to riparian habitats associated with the Savannah River Drainage. While the range of this species has been extended, it is still limited to small portions of this drainage. Thus, further sampling to determine the true extent of C. strigosus distribution within SC along with conservation efforts are needed to protect this globally rare species.