An Official Website of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
The crustacean fauna of Kentucky includes a diverse group of animals, including crayfishes, amphipods, isopods, and shrimps. Basic research on the fauna is lacking for some of these groups, specifically amphipods, isopods, and shrimps. While crayfish are the most studied group of crustaceans in the state, they also suffer from a lack of basic information managers require to properly initiate conservation efforts.
At present, 62 crayfish species have been reported from Kentucky. While recent taxonomic studies have improved our understanding of Kentucky’s native crayfishes, multiple species complexes and other cryptic species still require further study.
The Big Sandy Crayfish and Mammoth Cave Shrimp are the two crustaceans in Kentucky currently listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Big Sandy Crayfish (Cambarus callainus)
Photo Credit: Guenter Schuster
Mammoth Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri)
Photo Credit: Michael Durham
Crustaceans inhabit a variety of habitats in Kentucky. Most of the crustaceans listed as species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) in Kentucky’s State Wildlife Action Plan (31 species) inhabit flowing water like streams and rivers. A smaller number (5 species) inhabit slower moving water systems like wetlands, ponds, and lakes. Seven species are considered terrestrial or burrowing crayfish, and another seven species are restricted to subterranean (cave) systems.
Twenty crustacean SGCN are considered endemic to Kentucky, meaning they are only found in our state. Of these, many are known only from one stream or cave system.
The primary threats to Kentucky’s crustaceans include poor water quality and sedimentation, habitat alteration from development, and the introduction of invasive/non-native species, which often outcompete native species for essential habitat.
For most crustacean SGCN, additional work is needed to determine population status, life history, specific and habitat requirements. Of the 50 crustaceans listed as SGCN, 28 are designated “data deficient” because they lack sufficient distributional data and basic life history information to make an informed conservation status.
You can learn more about the survey, research, and management needs identified for Kentucky’s crustacean species in our SWAP app.
Many of Kentucky’s crayfish, like this Upland Burrowing crayfish Cambarus dubious, are data deficient SGCN in Kentucky’s SWAP. This means that more field surveys and genetic analyses are needed to determine if it a single species, or part of a species complex that includes multiple similar looking subspecies.
Photo Credit: Guenter Schuster
High-quality habitat in eastern Kentucky. Photo Credit: KDFWR
Crayfish Blitz - A new collaborative sampling event created to help fill the data gaps.
Burrowing crayfish species have traditionally been under-sampled. Starting in 2023, KDFWR initiated a regional “crayfish blitz” to help increase targeted surveys and fill data gaps. With the participation of over crayfish researchers from five states, the group surveyed over 50 sites for burrowing crayfish during a three-day intensive survey.This event's objectives are to bring people together to conduct surveys for crayfish and train students and other volunteers in crayfish survey techniques and identification.
Burrowing crayfish species have traditionally been under-sampled. Starting in 2023, KDFWR initiated a regional “crayfish blitz” to help increase targeted surveys and fill data gaps. With the participation of over crayfish researchers from five states, the group surveyed over 50 sites for burrowing crayfish during a three-day intensive survey.
This event's objectives are to bring people together to conduct surveys for crayfish and train students and other volunteers in crayfish survey techniques and identification.
Mowild Crayfish- A new Kentucky species discovered in an urban environment.
Discovering a new species sounds like something that would take place in a remote corner of the world, but over 10 new species of crayfish have been discovered in Kentucky since 2000. Recently, a previously undescribed crayfish was awaiting ‘discovery’ in a few small streams in Jefferson County. A biologist at KDFWR discovered and described what is now known as the Mowild Crayfish. After formally describing the species, a contest for naming rights was held through the Kentucky Wild program. The Mowild crayfish fundraiser helped promote awareness for crayfish conservation in Kentucky and generate funding for research. The naming rights were won by folks at GoWild, who fully embraced the plight of this crayfish. When they found out their newly named crayfish was being impacted by an invasive crayfish species commonly used as live fishing bait, they created and sold the MoWild bass lure and donated all proceeds to Kentucky Wild. This amazing project simultaneously drew attention to the problem of bait bucket introduction of invasive species while also funding crayfish conservation in Kentucky.
Discovering a new species sounds like something that would take place in a remote corner of the world, but over 10 new species of crayfish have been discovered in Kentucky since 2000. Recently, a previously undescribed crayfish was awaiting ‘discovery’ in a few small streams in Jefferson County.
A biologist at KDFWR discovered and described what is now known as the Mowild Crayfish. After formally describing the species, a contest for naming rights was held through the Kentucky Wild program. The Mowild crayfish fundraiser helped promote awareness for crayfish conservation in Kentucky and generate funding for research.
The naming rights were won by folks at GoWild, who fully embraced the plight of this crayfish. When they found out their newly named crayfish was being impacted by an invasive crayfish species commonly used as live fishing bait, they created and sold the MoWild bass lure and donated all proceeds to Kentucky Wild. This amazing project simultaneously drew attention to the problem of bait bucket introduction of invasive species while also funding crayfish conservation in Kentucky.