Quick Take
- Four crawfish just showed up in Mississippi waters. Are they welcome guests or an early warning?
- Crayfish are beloved on the dinner table, yet they have a darker reputation in the wild.
- These underdog crustaceans can pull off tricks that shrimp and lobsters can't match.
When people think of crustaceans, shrimp, crabs, and lobsters usually come to mind. However, the most enduring, unsung hero of the crustacean world is arguably the crayfish. These creatures are perhaps more widespread than most people realize. In fact, there are at least 650 described species of crayfish (also called crawfish) across the globe. What’s more, between five and ten new species are discovered every year.
Recently, biologists from Mississippi’s Museum of Natural Science found four crayfish species in Mississippi’s waterways. Although these are not newly discovered species, their appearance in Mississippi is new. These latest findings boost the total number of crayfish species in Mississippi to 70. Chances are, too, that further surveys will net more crayfish-related discoveries. Let’s learn more about this latest find, what it means for Mississippi’s biodiversity, and if these new crayfish will be welcomed or deemed invasive species.
Magnolia State Movers
Biologists recently discovered four species of crayfish never before seen in Mississippi.
©Gail Euston-Brown/Shutterstock.com
As reported on various social media channels and by the state’s Darkhorse Press, a team of biologists made an interesting recent discovery in several of Mississippi’s waterways. Routinely, museum officials conduct statewide surveys to better understand the state’s natural landscape. The results of such research help guide conservation management and ecological practices.
Over the course of the last year, biologists from the state’s Museum of Natural Science conducted one such survey in search of crayfish. This took them to over 100 locations and waterways across northern Mississippi, many in counties bordering Tennessee. As a result, the biologists found four crayfish species never before reported in Mississippi: the Hatchie burrowing crayfish, the paintedhand mudbug, the Nashville crayfish, and the surgeon crayfish. These findings bring the total of known crayfish species in Mississippi to 70.
Perhaps this should not come as a surprise; crayfish, comprising approximately 650 species, are found on every continent except Antarctica. Basically, any region with streams, rivers, ponds, or swamps is likely to have some type of crayfish. That being said, crayfish heavily concentrate in North America and Australia. North America in general, and the Southeastern United States in particular, hosts more than 400 species.
Hardy but Invasive
Crayfish have a mixed reputation. They are a food staple in some southern states and a historic keystone creature. These small crustaceans recycle nutrients, build aquatic habitats for other creatures, and serve as a central bridge in the food web. They are also fascinating in their physiological abilities. Crayfish can regenerate limbs, and escape danger by swimming backward with a flip of their tail fan. They can even breathe air for short periods using their feather-like gills.
However, the appearance of several never-before-seen species in Mississippi reinforces their other reputation: that of an invasive species. Crayfish, particularly red swamp crayfish, are known to destroy habitats, deplete resources, and outcompete native species. They also overgraze underwater plants and cause erosion by burrowing into riverbanks.
Only time will tell if these new arrivals in Mississippi are a signal of biodiversity or the first alarm of four invasive species.
