U.S. FishU.S &. FishWildlife & Wildlife Service Service Kisatchie Painted Crayfish Arlington, Texas Ecological Services Field Office Kisatchie Painted Crayfish Faxonius maletae During the winter, the mortality rate of crayfish Description increases due to mating stress, starvation, and The Kisatchie painted crayfish predation. Abiotic (Faxonius maletae) is an elusive, factors such as low freshwater crayfish endemic to the dissolved oxygen levels streams of northeast Texas and and temperature Louisiana. It is characterized by an fluctuations can also olive carapace (hard, upper shell) influence crayfish and the red marks on the chelae survival. (claws), legs, and above the eyes. Crayfish, in general, are keystone species that may indicate the health F. maletae Habitat of a watershed, and nearly half of Photo: Steve Shively, USDA Forest Service Little is known about the crayfish species are vulnerable, habitat requirements of the determined that the Kisatchie painted threatened, or endangered. The size of Kisatchie painted crayfish. They were crayfish was absent from 60% of its Kisatchie painted crayfish appears to historically collected in freshwater historical range in Texas. be influenced by water depth. streams with sand, gravel, mud, or silt Individuals found in deep water have in northeast Texas and Louisiana. been documented to reach lengths of Life History However, the Texas habitat was more 101.6 mm, while those found in The Kisatchie painted crayfish is stagnant and muddy than Louisiana. shallow water rarely reach lengths reproductively active in September Kisatchie painted crayfish may prefer over 50.8 mm. and October; unlike other crayfish that streams with varying water depth, reproduce in the spring. Males heavy leaf litter, and cobble-lined undergo a transition between two stream bottoms. Food items include plants and carrion. forms dependent upon reproductive behavior. Males are in the Conservation reproductive form during the fall and Threats such as limited range, winter and molt into the non- invasive crayfish species, and habitat reproductive form until the next fall. loss impact the Kisatchie painted Eggs hatch in May, after being crayfish. It is listed as a species of F. maletae fertilized externally. The males have special concern by the Louisiana Photo: Steve Shively, USDA Forest Service an estimated life expectancy of about Natural Heritage Program. It was also 2 years. included in a 2010 petition for listing Distribution of 404 species under the Endangered The Kisatchie painted crayfish has Species Act, and is now under review. few historical records and is believed to be restricted to the Kisatchie Bayou For Further Information: and Bayou Teche watersheds in U.S Fish and Wildlife Service Louisiana and the Cypress Creek Ecological Services Field Office watershed in Texas. Historical 2005 NE Green Oaks Blvd., Suite 140 collecting locations were obtained Arlington, Texas 76006 from Texas Parks and Wildlife February 2021 Department, and recent field surveys Photograph of a typical collecting site for Kisatchie painted crayfish on Little Cypress Creek (Hwy 59) Photo: USFWS SWG Contract 447170 Kisatchie Painted Crayfish Range Parishes in Louisiana include Natchitoches and Rapides. Counties in Texas include Franklin, Titus, Camp, Upshur, Marion, Harrison, Cass and Gregg. Created with www.mapchart.net References McCarley, Jade L.M., "The Status of the Kisatchie Painted Crayfish (Faxonius maletae) in Louisiana" (2019). Biology Theses. Paper 58. http://hdl.handle.net/10950/1317 Taylor, C.A., G.A. Schuster, J.E. Cooper, R.J. DiStefano, A.G. Eversole, P. Hamr, H.H. Hobbs, H.W. Robison, C.E. Skelton, and R.F. Thoma. 2007. A reassessment of the conservation status of crayfishes of the United States and Canada after 10+ years of increased awareness. Fisheries 32:372—389. Walls, J.G. 1985. Distribution and natural history of the crawfish Orconectes difficilis (Decapoda: Astacidae) in Louisiana. Southwestern Naturalist 30:189-194. Walls, J.G. 2005. Crawfishes from the Kisatchie Ranger District, Kisatchie National Forest, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. Presented in fulfillment of a contract with Mr. David Byrd, Fisheries Program Manager, KNF, Pineville, LA. Williams, L.R., M.G. Williams, J. Banta, J. Hernandez, L. Brown, and J. Placyk. 2014. Ecological niche modeling and field surveys for the Kisatchie painted crayfish, Orconectes maletae. USFWS SWG Contract 447170. .