Brief Note New Locality Records of Crayfishes from the Middle Hudson River System1

Home , Cambarus bartonii, Hoosic River, Kinderhook Creek, Poesten Kill

BRIEF NOTE NEW LOCALITY RECORDS OF CRAYFISHES FROM THE MIDDLE HUDSON RIVER SYSTEM1

DOUGLAS G. SMITH, Museum of Zoology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003 OHIO J. SCI. 79(3): 133, 1979

The crayfish fauna of New York repre- of late glacial dispersal to account for sents a mixture of three continental spe- specific species distributions. With the cies groupings, often referred to as the possible exception of some necessary Atlantic coast, Appalachian, and Great future reinterpretation of the late glacial Lakes (preglacial Laurentian River) as- dispersal models, no new evidence has semblages. Northward migration along emerged to discount Crocker's hypo- the coast during the late glacial times thesis. brought the Atlantic group in contact Crocker (1957) derived much of his with species of the Great Lakes assem- data for his discussion on distribution blage migrating eastward through west- central New York. The Appalachian group, represented by a single species, Cambarus bartonii, probably spread NY VT throughout most of New York before the advent of either of the other groups. Specific migrations of dispersing crayfishes were made possible by the existence of short-term interdrainage connections created by the shifting drainage patterns of a receding glacial ice front. The Hudson River system in eastern New York was the terminus for some of these late glacial migrations, particularly for those forms entering from the west via the former Glacio-Iromohawk River. In addition to late glacial reinvasion, artificial introductions by man have added species to the Hudson River fauna. It is unclear as to when these introductions commenced; however, remarks by Faxon (1885) regarding importation of crayfish to New York food markets suggest that they were occurring before the turn of the century. The monograph on New York crayfishes by Crocker (1957) provides the foundation for any future study on this fauna. In addition to compiling the scattered data on New York crayfishes FIGURE 1. Map of study area showing the distribution of native crayfishes. $ Orconecles prior to 1957, Crocker proposed a pattern limosus, A 0. propinquus, JB Cambarus robustus, Q C. bartonii. Open symbols denote previous ^lanuscript received 17 November 1977 and records heavy arrows indicate mouth of Mo- in revised form 13 July 1978 (#77-87). hawk River. 133 134 DOUGLAS G. SMITH Vol. 79 from the series of watershed surveys con- distinguishing 0. propinquus from 0. ducted by the New York State Conser- obscurus in New York, utilizing the vation Department from 1926 to 1939. presence or absence of a medium rostral Although Crocker supplemented this carina. Fitzpatrick (1957), however, in- early material with subsequent collecting dicated that O. propinquus possesses a of his own, large portions of the fauna of carina while 0. obscurus did not, and the eastern Hudson River watershed re- separation to species by use of this char- mained relatively unknown. The present acter was almost always complete. All study provides additional distributional specimens of 0. propinquus collected dur- data for crayfishes in the middle Hudson ing this study had an evident, though River system and discusses some prob- sometimes weakly developed, rostral lems concerning particular species dis- carina. tributions, notably those of Orconectes A third species, 0. obscurus (Hagen) virilis and Cambarus robustus. also occurs in limited areas of the upper My investigations were carried out in Mohawk River system (Crocker 1957, the middle Hudson River watershed Crocker and Barr 1968); however, Fitz- during August 1976, from July to October patrick's (1967, figure 2) depiction of its 1977, and in June 1978, in Columbia, presence also in the lower Hudson River Rensselaer and Washington Counties in and Upper Delaware River systems is New York State. Collecting was done erroneous. Crocker indicated that a by hand, or with the aid of a Turtox® in- previous collection of 0. obscurus had destructible dip net. An improvised been made in Kinderhook Creek in the wedge-shaped weir constructed of 34 mcn middle Hudson River system which later wire screen attached to a metal frame he was not able to repeat. Collecting in was found to be very successful for se- 1976 and 1977 in Kinderhook Creek and curing specimens in shallow swift rocky its tributaries in Nassau township and in streams. Figure 1 shows the distribution New Lebanon township (Columbia Co.) of crayfishes in the study area. did not reveal 0. obscurus. All preserved specimens have been Orconectes virilis (Hagen) placed in the invertebrate collections of Columbia Co.: New Lebanon, Kinderhook the Museum of Zoology, University of Creek, 15 Sept. 1977, 4c?I, 1 9 . Massachusetts at Amherst. Species syn- Rensselaer Co.: Nassau, Kinderhook Creek, 9 Aug. 1976, 2c?II, 2 9 ; Hoosick, Hoosic River, onomies have been provided only where 18 July 1977, lc?I, lcfll, 19; Hoosick, Wal- relevant to Crocker's (1957) study on loomsac River, 9 Sept. 1977, lc?I, 3 9 immature; New York crayfishes. All specimen list- Hoosick, unnamed stream (Breese Hollow), 29 ings under new locality records refer to June 1978, lc?I, lc?H; Troy, Wyants Kill, 28 July 1977, 2 9 ; North Greenbush, Wyants Kill, adults unless otherwise indicated. 26 June 1978, 1 9 . NEW LOCALITY RECORDS AND DISCUSSION Crocker (1957) proposed two means of entry of 0. virilis into the Hudson River Orconectes limosus (Raf.) system: either dispersal through a tem- Rensselaer Co.: Nassau, Valatie Kill, 9 Aug. 1976, 2c?I, 2c?II, 49, 1$ immature. porary late glacial connection between the Lake Champlain and Hudson River Orconectes propinquus (Girard) watersheds, or by way of artificial intro- Orconectes propinquus propinquus (Girard) duction. He further stated that if the Crocker, 1957. first hypothesis was correct, then the few Rensselaer Co.: Nassau, Kinderhook Creek, 9 Aug. 1976, 4c?I, 29 ; Hoosick, Hoosic River, populations of 0. virilis occupying the 18 July 1977 and 29 June 1978, lcfl, 4c? II, 8 9 ; upper Hudson River system were relicts Hoosic, unnamed tributary to Browns Brook, 29 of the interdrainage transfer. If 0. June 1978, 39; Sand Lake, Wyants Kill, 26 virilis entered the upper Hudson River June 1978, lc?I, 3c?II, 89; North Greenbush, Wyants Kill, 26 June 1978. 3 9 ; Troy, Wyants system, as suggested by Crocker, then the Kill, 28 July 1977, lc?I, 39. species should have spread rapidly into Washington Co.: Cambridge, Fly Creek, 28 available habitats and persisted as did 0. July 1977, 2c?I, 29 ; White Creek, Owl Kill, 28 propinquus. As shown by Schwartz et al July 1977, lcfl, 39. (1963) and Bovbjerg (1970), 0. virilis is a Crocker (1957) expressed difficulty in very aggressive colonizer, often driving Ohio I. Sci. HUDSON RIVER CRAYFISHES 135 out already existing populations of other 3c?II, 2c? immature, 29, 2 9 immature; Schodack, Moordener Kill, 9 Aug. 1976, 19,1$ species. The presence of 0. virilis in the immature. Hudson River system is probably the re- Washington Co.: White Creek, Little White sult of introductions by man, and intro- Creek, 29 June 1978, lc?H; White Creek, White ductions of this species are probably still Creek, 29 June 1978, lc?I, lc? immature, 1 9 . going on, as evidenced by the increase in A single adult form II male of C. incidence of O. virilis in the Hudson River bartonii (UMA No. AR. 798, Rensselaer system since Crocker's study. Co., Tackawasick Creek) is morpho- Cambarus (Puncticambarus) robustus (Girard) logically intermediate between typical C. Renssclacr Co.: Graf ton, Ouackcn Kill, 28 bartonii and C. robustus (which occurs July and 9 Sept. 1977, 2c?l, 4c?ll, 3 9 ; Bruns- syntopically in the same stream) by pos- wick, Quacken Kill, 9 Sept. 1977, 3 c? immature; Nassau, Tackawasick Creek, 15 Sept. 1977, session of 2 rows of tubercles along the 3cfII, 19 immature; Sand Lake, unnamed mesial marin of the porpodus of percopod. tributary to Wyants Kill, 26 June 1978, 3c?II, In New York, major populations occur 3c? immature, 19, 0 9 immature; Sand Lake, in the Adirondack, Allegheny, Catskill Wyants Kill, 2(i June 1978, 4c?II. and Taconic Mountain areas. Although The locality records established in 1977 both Crocker (1957) and Ortmann (1906) and 197N might be interpreted as the re- listed records for the Hudson River sys- sult of either migration to the middle tem, most of the central Taconic region Hudson River system during late glacial was not included. The localities presented dispersal, or as introductions by man. in this study suggest no deviation from Each locality is a rocky stream with the distribution patterns discussed by moderate to strong current, and all occur Crocker (1957). In the area studied, C. in a drainage area characterized by Great bartonii was found frequently only in the Lakes species. Furthermore, each stream Poestenkill and the upper Hoosic River is situated near the mouth of the Mohawk system (except the polluted Little Hoosic River, although one, Tackawasick Creek, River). Otherwise, C. bartonii was rare. is part of the upper Kinderhook Creek The scarcity of C. bartonii might reflect system which empties into the Hudson the combined effects of a warming cli- River farther south in Columbia County. mate, pollution, and artificial introduc- It is possible that an interdrainage trans- tion of other crayfish species. fer occurred between the adjacent Tacka- Acknowledgment. I should like to express my wasick Creek and the Wyants Kill sys- appreciation to Ms. Ann Pratt and Mr. William tem through a hypothetical 5 mile long Wall for their assistance in the field and for connection in the intervening low Sand reading the manuscript. Lake region when this area was still in- fluenced by excessive meltwater drain- LITERATURE CITED age. The present records would fill a Bovbjerg, R. V. 1970 Ecological isolation geographic gap between the upper Hud- and competitive exclusion in two crayfish. son and Mohawk River drainage locali- Ecology 51: 225-236. ties cited by Crocker (1957) and establish Crocker, D. W. 1957 The crayfishes of New the species eastern range limit. York State. Bull. N. Y. State Museum Sci. Ser. 355: 1-97. Diagnoses of the 32 specimens col- and D. W. Barr 1968 Handbook of,the lected during 1977 and 1978 revealed crayfish of Ontario. University Ontario cervical spines on specimens from 19 to Press, Toronto. 158 pp. 35 mm carapace length with the greatest Faxon, W. 1885 A revision of the Astacidae. frequency of spines occurring from 19 to Part I. The genera Cambarus and Astacus. 25 mm. Mem. Museum Comp. Zool. 10: 1-186. Cambarus (Cambarus) bartonii (Fab.) Fitzpatrick, J. F., Jr. 1967 The Propinquus Cambarus bartoni bartoni (Fab.) Crocker, 1957 group of the crawfish Genus Orconectes (De- Rensselaer Co.: Hoosick, Hoosic River, 18 capoda: Astacidae). Ohio J. Sci. 67:129-172. July 1977, 1 9 ; Hoosick, unnamed tributary to Ortmann, A. E. 1906 The crawfishes of the Browns Brook, 29 June 1978, 39; Hoosick, Woods Brook, 29 June 1978, lc?II; Nassau, State of Pennsylvania. Mem. Carnegie Tackawasick Creek, 15 Sept. 1977, lc?H; Museum 2: 343-533. Poestenkill, 10 Oct. 1977 and 26 June 1978, Schwartz, F. J., R. Rubelmann, and J. Allison 1963 Ecological population expansion of the introduced crayfish, Orconectes virilis. Ohio J. Sci. 63: 266-273.