73
Young White River Crayfish are
generally brown or yellowish. One
thing that it does have is a wide dark
stripe down the top of the abdomen,
something that the Red Swamp
Crayfish
lacks. One
feature that
differentiates
these two
species is that
the halves of
the aureola of
the White
River
Crayfish has a small gap where the
two halves in the Red Swamp Crayfish
touch.
One of the key identification
characters of many crayfishes is the
shape of the first
pleopod of a Form I
male. The first
pleopod of the White
River Crayfish
terminates in four
short elements with
some setae. In non-
breeding season the
pleopod reverts to a
juvenile form (Form
II) that may still be
of use for identification.
The rostrum of the White River
Crayfish is triangular with a wide
base tapering to a fairly blunt tip with
a terminal spine. It has a deeply
dished
center
with
strong
ridges on
both
sides.
There is
no median carina. It is almost
identical to that of the Red Swamp
Crayfish and similar to that of the
Calico Crayfish.
The chelae or claws of the White River
Crayfish are long and narrow with
long
skinny
fingers.
Again,
these are
almost
identical
to those of the Red Swamp Crayfish
(among others).
Here is the
annulus ventralis
of a female Prairie
crayfish. The
upper portion of
the photo is
towards the
crayfish's head.
Note: Most of the information in the
following sections was compiled from
information found in the literature.
110,
180, 188, 228
