Santa Fe cave crayfish

Procambarus erythrops

Taxonomic Classification

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Crustacea Order: Decapoda Family: Cambaridae Genus/Species: Procambarus erythrops Common Name: Santa Fe cave crayfish (also known as the Sim’s Sink crayfish)

Listing Status

Federal Status: Not Listed FL Status: State Species of Special Concern FNAI Ranks: G1/S1 (Critically Imperiled) IUCN Status: EN (Endangered)

Physical Description

The Santa Fe cave crayfish is a mid-sized crayfish that can reach a length of 3.5 inches (8.9 centimeters). This species is white with red-toned eyes (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001).

Life History

It is not clear what Santa Fe cave crayfish feed on, however, they are probably detritivores – feed on decomposed organic matter (NatureServe 2010).

Males capable of reproduction are found between the months of January and July, with mating occurring between March and July. There is no data on spawning or the amount of young produced, as no egg-bearing female has ever been found (NatureServe Explorer 2010, Franz 1994).

Habitat & Distribution

Santa Fe cave crayfish inhabit groundwater areas in caves and sinkholes in southern Suwannee and southwestern Columbia counties in Florida (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001, Franz 1994, Franz et al. 1994, NatureServe 2010, Tom Morris pers. comm. 2010).

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Threats

Habitat degradation seems to be the biggest threat to the Santa Fe cave crayfish. The change of its habitat’s water system and weathering rock flows can potentially threaten the Santa Fe cave crayfish population (NatureServe 2010). Other threats include the dumping of garbage in vulnerable areas, pollution of groundwater, and the effects of mining on the position of the water table (Florida Natural Areas Inventory 2001).

Conservation & Management

The Santa Fe cave crayfish is protected as a State Species of Special Concern by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule.

-Biological Status Review (BSR) -Supplemental Information for the BSR

Other Informative Links

Florida Natural Areas Inventory International Union for Conservation of Nature

References

Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 2001. Field guide to the rare animals of Florida. http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Procambarus_erythrops.PDF

Franz, R., J. Bauer, and T. Morris. 1994. Review of biologically significant caves and their faunas in Florida and South Georgia. Brimleyana 20: 1-109.

Franz, R. 1994. Rare: Santa Fe cave crayfish. Pp. 195-197 in Deyrup, M. and R. Franz (eds.). Rare and endangered biota of Florida. Volume IV. Invertebrates. University Press of Florida.

NatureServe. 2010. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: April 5, 2011).

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