Monday, September 28, 2015

A new crayfish: Procambarus holifieldi

Procambarus is a North and Central American genus of crayfish. Originally it was described as a group for four species, but by now it contains about 160 species.

All close relatives of the new species never use permanent water such as a stream or lake and spend most of their life underground in excavated complex burrows. They may occasionally leave their burrows in search of a mate or food, which is most common during and after periods of heavy rains.

This new species was found in Alabama and named in honor of its collector Jesse Holifield (Alabama Biodiversity Center).

For the experts: Procambarus (Girardiella) holifieldi, new species, is a primary burrowing crayfish from a low-lying field in Perry County, Alabama. It belongs to the Hagenianus Group in the subgenus Girardiella.  The new species is morphologically most similar to Procambarus (Girardiella) barbiger.  They differ in the size and shape of the caudal processes.  Procambarus barbiger has a beard along the mesial margin of the palm of the chela, while the new species lacks the beard.  In addition to the description of the new species, the Hagenianus Group is reviewed and new synonymies are provided. We demonstrate that a cephalic process is indeed present in the Hagenianus Group.

No comments:

Post a Comment