Cambarus hatfieldi
| Cambarus hatfieldi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Cambaridae |
| Genus: | Cambarus |
| Species: | C. hatfieldi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cambarus hatfieldi Loughman, Fagundo, Lau, Welsh & Thoma, 2013[1]
| |
Cambarus hatfieldi (common name Tug Valley crayfish) is a species of crayfish.[2]
Name
Biologists from the University of West Virginia named this species inspired by the Hatfield-McCoy feud.[3] One of the scientists, Zachary Loughman, said this:[4]
Since this is the same region of the famous Hatfield and McCoy rivalry, we thought it was only fitting to name the animal Cambarus hatfieldi, especially since the majority of its range occurs in West Virginia.
Taxonomy
The species was originally thought to be a disjunct population of Cambarus sciotensis.[5]
Morphology
The species can reach sexual maturity under the age of 2 years.
Juvenile C. hatfieldi appear to be usually brown. Adults are still usually brown, but can come in variations of grey. Adults also have blue and green on their legs, as well of parts of their abdomens and cephalothorax.[5]
Habitat and distribution
The species is endemic to the United States. It is present in the U.S. states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
The species resides in freshwater.
The species prefers to reside under slab boulders. But woody and leaf debris will do if boulders are not present.[2]
References
- ^ Loughman, Zachary J.; Fagundo, Raquel A.; Lau, Evan; Welsh, Stuart A.; Thoma, Roger F. (2013). "Cambarus (C.) hatfieldi, a new species of crayfish (Decapoda:Cambaridae) from the Tug Fork River Basin of Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia, USA". Zootaxa. 3750 (3): 223–236. Bibcode:2013Zoot.3750..223L. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3750.3.3. PMID 25113694.
- ^ a b "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ^ Board, Glynis (2014-03-10). "Enter the World of West Virginia Crayfish Research". West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ Zambito, Maureen (2013-12-19). "Researchers Name Crayfish Species "Cambarus hatfieldi" in Honor of Famous WV Feud". News and Media Relations. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
- ^ a b Vopal, Christopher G.; Loughman, Zachary J. (2025). "Life History of Tug Valley Crayfish Cambarus hatfieldi Loughman, Fagundo, Lau, Welsh & Thoma 2013 (Decapoda: Astacoidea: Cambaridae) in Southwestern West Virginia, USA". Acta Zoologica. n/a (n/a). doi:10.1111/azo.70000. ISSN 1463-6395.