Papershell Crayfish
The papershell crayfish is a native crustacean in Colorado.
About This Species
The papershell crayfish grows up to 49 mm in length and has a convex rostrum. The chelae (claws) are slender with a notch and tooth midway, and the copulatory stylets are curved. Other name: calico crayfish.
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Range
The papershell crayfish is a generalist species with a very wide native distribution throughout North America and Canada. This species is widely used as bait, which could be the cause of its range expansion in North America. It has a better tolerance to pollution and low oxygen levels than many other species of crayfish, but is generally found in habitats vulnerable to human activity. In the early 1990s the papershell crayfish was introduced to Europe, and has since spread along the Rhine in Germany.
Habitat
The papershell crayfish can tolerate poor habitat conditions and has been known to coexist with invasive species, but it generally prefers weedier, shallow bodies of water where it may burrow if natural cover is lacking. The papershell has been observed in roadside ditches as well as ponds, flood plains, drainage ditches and small sluggish streams. It seems to prefer soft mud or clay substrate with abundant aquatic vegetation, but also occurs in higher gradient gravel bedded streams. The papershell is not an obligate burrower and is capable of traveling across dry ground, especially in wet weather. The papershell crayfish has an extremely broad range in North America, from Maine and Connecticut to eastern Colorado and Wyoming, and from Kentucky to southern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. The native extent of its range has been estimated to exceed 6 million km2. More than likely this species has been spread over the Continental Divide by its use as bait or as live laboratory teaching specimens.