Marshall University Marshall Digital Scholar Theses, Dissertations and Capstones 1-1-2013 The rC ayfishes of West Virginia’s Southwestern Coalfields Region with an Emphasis on the Life History of Cambarus theepiensis David Allen Foltz II Follow this and additional works at: http://mds.marshall.edu/etd Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons Recommended Citation Foltz, David Allen II, "The rC ayfishes of West Virginia’s Southwestern Coalfields Region with an Emphasis on the Life History of Cambarus theepiensis" (2013). Theses, Dissertations and Capstones. Paper 731. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Marshall Digital Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Marshall Digital Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Crayfishes of West Virginia’s Southwestern Coalfields Region with an Emphasis on the Life History of Cambarus theepiensis A Thesis submitted to the Graduate College of Marshall University Huntington, WV In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Biological Sciences: Watershed Resource Science Prepared by David Allen Foltz II Approved by Committee Members: Zachary Loughman, Ph.D., Major Advisor David Mallory, Ph.D., Committee Member Mindy Armstead, Ph.D., Committee Member Thomas Jones, Ph.D., Committee Member Thomas Pauley, Ph.D., Committee Member Marshall University Defended 11/13/2013 Final Submission to the Graduate College December 2013 ©2013 David Allen Foltz II ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii AKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend my gratitude to my committee members. Without their guidance and support, my thesis would not have come to fruition. To Dr.’s David Mallory and Mindy Armstead for their thoughtful input and suggestions along the way, thank you. To Dr. Pauley whom always took the time to listen to me, whether it was about my casual field herping, collecting, or sampling, you always felt like a third grandfather to me, only with a Ph.D., you have my thanks. To Dr. Jones, thank you for all of your input, both in regards to crayfish as well as freshwater mussels. Thank you for introducing me to Malacology and the amazing world of diving. Lastly, words cannot describe my gratitude to the final member of my committee and my advisor, Dr. Zachary Loughman. During my undergraduate career, you saw something in me that neither I nor others did. Thanks to your guidance and friendship, I have strived to push myself above and beyond what I originally thought myself possible of achieving. It is no exaggeration to say that without you, I would not be in this field today, nor would I have my have obtained my Master’s degree. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your tutelage, your guidance, and most importantly, your friendship. While my committee was influential to the completion of my thesis, it would be a colossal disservice to not mention the following people, who were at times just as influential as the aforementioned individuals. To Casey Swecker, despite not being on my committee and having a fulltime job of your own, you always took time to offer advice, review any of my documents, and be there when others were difficult to track down or contact. I consider you a great friend and a wonderful colleague. You have my deepest thanks. To my field crew: Jeremy Kinney, Lorin Keller, Jessica Curtis, Na-Yung Culley, Kathy Loughman, Colin Loughman, Kristy iii Mixer, Stephany Haggerty, and Jessica’s dog, Pookie, you have my deepest thanks. The collecting days were made enjoyable thanks to you despite setbacks, unforeseen complications, and chaotic weather. To Wanda Dyke, your smiling face and cheerful personality always brightened my day. You were always so helpful no matter what it was that I needed. I will miss seeing you every day. Lastly, to Kyle McGill, my graduate roommate and best friend, were it not for you, my thesis would not have happened. Some of the most difficult moments in my life happened during my time at Marshall and on many days, you alone got me through them. Whether it was by humoring me with your insane sense of humor or listening, many times repeatedly, to my problems, you made it possible for me to not give up and continue to the finish line. Words cannot express my gratitude to you. To all those that told me I could, and to all those that told me I could not, I extend my thanks. Your words kept me moving when I wanted to stop. Lastly, a special thanks to my family. To my parents, thank you for always believing in me and allowing me to make my own decisions in life and supporting them, even if at times you did not agree with them. I would not be where I am today without you. To all the individuals in all fields of Biology that have inspired me, ~ Thank You ~ iv Table of Contents Page Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................iii Chapter I: Introduction to Crayfish Conservation in the Coalfields of West Virginia ..... 1 Background, Taxonomy, and Environmental Roles .............................................. 1 Land Use and Anthropogenic Activities within the Study Area ........................... 3 Justification of Study Efforts ................................................................................. 7 Works Cited ............................................................................................................ 8 Appendix I ............................................................................................................. 13 Figures Figure 1: Supplemental crayfish schematic figure ............................ 14 Chapter II: Life History of Cambarus theepiensis, a newly described crayfish from the coalfields of Southwestern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky ................................ 15 Abstract................................................................................................................. 15 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 16 Materials and Methods ........................................................................................ 17 Site selection ............................................................................................ 17 Study sites ................................................................................................. 18 Life History ................................................................................................ 19 Physiochemical ......................................................................................... 21 Gomedic development analysis .................................................... 21 Statistical analysis ......................................................................... 22 Results ................................................................................................................... 24 Reproductive cycle .................................................................................... 24 Gomedic development ............................................................................. 26 Sex ratios ................................................................................................... 27 Form analyses ........................................................................................... 27 Size at maturity ......................................................................................... 27 Size class structure and habitat utilization ............................................... 28 Damage and mutations ............................................................................. 28 Discussion ............................................................................................................. 29 Reproductive cycle .................................................................................... 29 Gomedic development .............................................................................. 31 Form analyses............................................................................................ 32 Size class structure and habitat utilization ............................................... 34 v Page Works Cited .......................................................................................................... 36 Appendix II ............................................................................................................ 40 Table 2.1: Monthly occurrence of glair, eggs, instars, and free living juveniles ........................................................................................ 41 Table 2.2: Mean ± SE and range (mm) for morphometrics ......... 42 Figures Figure 2.1: Butler Adkins Branch .................................................. 43 Figure 2.1: Left Fork Miller’s Branch ............................................. 44 Figure 2.3: Monthly CPUE graph for species encountered .......... 45 Figure 2.4: Monthly reproductive state for Cambarus theepiensis for the year of May 2012- April 2013 ....................................................... 46 Figure 2.5: Mean internal egg diameter ....................................... 47 Figure 2.6: Monthly frequency histogram plots for Cambarus theepiensis for the year of May 2012- April 2013 ........................................... 48 Figure 2.7: Female Cambarus theepiensis with attached instars . 49 Chapter III: Zoogeography, taxonomy, and conservation