Cave-dwelling-forms

Guides

• Astacoidea

  Northern Hemisphere Crayfishes

  Astacoidea is a superfamily of freshwater crayfish restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. It comprises three families: Astacidae (Europe and western North America), Cambaridae (eastern North America), and Cambaroididae (eastern Asia). Members are distinguished from the Southern Hemisphere superfamily Parastacoidea by geographic distribution. Crayfish in this group possess ten walking legs, feather-like gills for respiration, and a segmented body with a hard exoskeleton. Many species construct burrows for shelter, with complexity varying from simple tunnels to elaborate multi-chambered systems.

  freshwatercrustaceandecapodburrowingNorthern-Hemispherecommercially-importantconservation-concerninvasive-potentialkeystone-speciescave-dwelling-forms