Orconectes (Trisellescens) taylori, a new species of crayfish from western Tennessee (Decapoda: Cambaridae)

Abstract

A new species of crayfish, Orconectes taylori, is described from tributaries of the North Fork Obion River in western Tennessee (common name: Crescent Crayfish). It occurs in small to medium size sandy bottom streams, and is found in leaf litter and woody debris along the banks. It belongs to the subgenus Trisellescens Bouchard & Bouchard, 1995 and can be distinguished from other species in the group by a combination of the length and curvature of the central projection of the form I gonopod, carina on the rostrum, appressed tubercles on the margin of the palm of the chela, and width of the areola. In the course of this study, a new drainage record was obtained for Orconectes pagei Taylor & Sabaj, 1997 formerly thought to occur only in tributaries of the Tennessee River in western Tennessee