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Issue: Vol. 4244 No. 4: 22 Mar. 2017
Type: Article
Published: 2017-03-22
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4244.4.6
Page range: 556–567
Abstract views: 130
PDF downloaded: 4

Euastacus vesper sp. nov., a new giant spiny crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda, Parastacidae) from the Great Dividing Range, New South Wales, Australia

Australian Crayfish Project, c/- Australian Aquatic Biological Pty Ltd, P.O. Box 3, Karuah, NSW, 2324, Australia, and Research Associate, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Section of Invertebrate Zoology, 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-4080 USA.
Australian Museum, 1 William Street Sydney, NSW, 2010, Australia, and School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
Crustacea Euastacus Parastacidae spiny crayfish freshwater Australia

Abstract

Euastacus vesper sp. nov., is described from the upper Cudgegong River, Coricudgy State Forest, New South Wales, Australia. The new species occurs in the western drainage of the Great Dividing Range, and is most closely related to E. spinifer (Heller, 1865), which occurs on the eastern side of the range. Euastacus vesper differs from E. spinifer by its considerably smaller maximum size (OCL 67.9 mm versus 116.7 mm), greater degree of thoracic spination loosely arrayed in three instead of two rows and absence of the antennular basipodite and coxopodite spines. Observations on burrowing, ecological preferences and biology are presented.

 

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