The fauna in West Virginia just became more diverse with the discovery of a new species of crayfish.

Researchers recently confirmed the new species Cambarus (Puncticambarus) smilax and published their findings in the Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington journal.

Zachary Loughman, instructor of biology in the Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at West Liberty University; Stuart Welsh, adjunct associate professor of wildlife and fisheries resources at West Virginia University and Thomas Simon, senior research scientist in the Department of Biology at Indiana State University, are co-authors on the publication.

Loughman and Welsh have been conducting a conservation assessment of West Virginia crayfishes since 2007 with the ultimate goal of producing a distribution atlas for the crayfishes found within the state.

The new species, C. (P.) similax and commonly known as the Greenbrier crayfish, was first uncovered during a 2008 survey that Loughman and Welsh conducted within the Greenbrier River watershed.

“At first the crayfish looked similar to Cambarus (Puncticambarus) robustus, or Big Water crayfish. However, upon further inspection, we realized it had several unique morphological characteristics,” Welsh explained.

The physical appearance of the Greenbrier crayfish differs from that of the Big Water crayfish by the shape of the claw, the shape of the head, and the shape of the male gonopods, structures important for reproduction.

The Puncticambarus subgenus inhabits rivers and streams across much of eastern North America with the Big Water crayfish having the most extensive range.

The new species is concentrated in streams occurring in the Greenbrier River system with the highest population densities in the East and West Forks of the Greenbrier River, Thorny Creek and Deer Creek.

The researchers weren’t surprised to find the news species. Including it, there are currently 24 identified in West Virginia.

“We estimate there are approximately 20 to 30 undescribed species of crayfish in the state,” Welsh said. “Unfortunately, we know there has not been a concentrated effort to identify them and it’s a slow process.”

Although often misunderstood or underappreciated, the crustaceans play a vital role in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

“The importance of crayfish cannot be stressed enough,” Welsh said. “They are prey and predators, shredder-collector facilitators, ecosystem engineers, among other things. They are also extremely sensitive to pollution and serve as a good indicator of water quality.”

In 2008, Welsh discovered a new species of fish in southern West Virginia, Crystallaria cincotta, or the diamond darter.

To read more about the new crayfish species, visit http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.2988/10-09.1.

-WVU-

law/09/06/11

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