Procambarus

Classification

Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Astacidea
Superfamily: Astacoidea
Family: Cambaridae
Genus: Procambarus

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Procambarus: //proʊˈkæmbərəs//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), Entomica by Fungus Guy. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Procambarus alleni (blue 6 months old) by Simplicius. Used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Procambarus fallax forma virginalis by Zfaulkes at English Wikipedia. Used under a Public domain license.

Procambarus clarkii claw by wildcarrot. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Blauer Floridakrebs B003 by Dirk Rohlfs. Used under a Public domain license.

Procambarus a. acutus SERC 08-01-16 (28724423805) by Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Used under a CC BY 2.0 license.

Summary

Procambarus is a diverse genus of crayfish in the family Cambaridae, native to North and Central America. It includes around 161 species, some of which are troglobitic or parthenogenetic.

Physical Characteristics

Procambarus can be distinguished from other genera of crayfish by the form of the first pleopod in males, which typically has three or more processes at the tip, compared to two or fewer in Faxonius and Cambarus.

Identification Tips

Look for the distinctive three or more processes on the first pleopod in male specimens for proper identification.

Habitat

Most Procambarus species live in various above-ground waters such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, and swamps. Some species are troglobitic, living in caves, particularly in karstic areas.

Distribution

The majority of diversity is found in the southeastern United States, extending to Guatemala, Honduras, and Cuba. About 45 species are found in Mexico and only two native species exist in Guatemala, with one each in Belize and Honduras.

Evolution

Originally described as a subgenus of Cambarus in 1905, Procambarus was elevated to the rank of genus in 1942. Though it is recognized as not monophyletic, no further taxonomic changes have been made pending more species sampling.