51 ANOMALY IN AN OKLAHOMA CRAYFISH (DECAPODA: CAMBARIDAE)

William Arthur Hayes, II and Rollin D. Reimer

Deportment of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Stotion, Texas

Anomalous blue specimens have been re­ blue. Tips of chelae and other nonpigment­ ported for five crayfish species in the family ed areas are between a pale cream color and Cambaridae Hobbs (1): Cambarus (Jug;­ an off-. The closest color match to this ,4t1Ibarus) m01lo"gal.em;s (Ortmann) and was Maerz and Paul's (6) Plate 11, A, 1. C. ,.,.o/;"us (Erichson), reported by New­ The blue specimen has been sent to Dr. combe (2); Proeambarus (Seil/Julkllmb.,.­ George Crozier, Dauphin Island Sea Lab, us) d",rk;; (Girard), reported by Penn Dauphin Island, Alabama, for analysis. He ( 3 ); Proeilmbtlrus (G;rilrd;elltl) bilge";',.. found that the blue appearance is probably us (Faxon) and P. (Or/ma",,;eus) ileulus due to a carotenoprotein in which the ileu/us (Girard), reported by Smiley and carotenoid is astaxanthin. Miller (4). Reimer has also found speci­ mens of Fallieamhilrus hedgpeth; (Hobbs) Some blue is normally seen in all speci­ from the Houston, Texas, area which ex­ mens of O. detmM in the telson and the hibit this anomalous color pattern. fingers of the chelae, but the normal body color is from olive to , with On September 1, 1974,24 crayfish of the maculations on the chelae and ­ species Orconedes deilntle Reimer and Jes­ dish- areas at the tips of the chelae ter (5) were collected from beneath stones and at leg joints. in a drying pool of a small stream 2 mi west of Okemah on Interstate Highway 40, This report brings the known "blue" Okfuskee County,Oklahoma. In this collec­ Cambarids to seven species representing tion, one female (20.0 mm cephalothorax four genera. length) was blue as previously reported for the other species. Of approximately 50 A(:KNOWLEDGMENT specimens examined, this is the only blue specimen noted. No blue specimens have The authors thank Dr. S. K. Johnson, been reported from New Mexico popula­ Texas A & M University, and Dr. G. F. tions examined by Reimer and Jester for Crozier, University of Alabama, for their their description of the species. No blue help and encouragement. specimens have been reported previously for any other Orconecles species. REFERENCES The blue specimen and a normal speci­ J. H. H. HOBBS, JI., Smiths. Contri. Zool. 164: men were photographed with Kodachrome 33 (1974). 64 color slide film and the blue color in life 2. C. L NEWCOMBE, Science 70: 217 (929). 3. G. H. PENN, Proc. La. Acad. Sci. 14: 66-67 was compared with the color plates of (1951 ). Maerz and Paul (6). The overall wash of 4. J. W. SMILEY and W. W. MILLEa, Crusta. light blue matches their Plate 34, K, 6. Dots ceana 20: 221 (1971). and bands of darker blue on the chelae 5. R. D. REIMEI and D. B. JUTE!, Tulane match their Plate 35, I., 12. Other than the Stud. Zoot. in pres•. 6. A. MAERZ and M. R. PAUL, .If Di&lio",", of eyes, which are the normal black, crayfish Colo,., 2d ed., McGraw-Hili Book Com­ appear to have no pigmentation other than pany, Inc., New York, 1950 - 207.

Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 55: 51 (1975)