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Issue: Vol. 5857 No. 2: 29 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-29
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5857.2.5
Page range: 299-316
Abstract views: 459
PDF downloaded: 473

Description of a new stream-dwelling species of Cambarus (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from Virginia and Pennsylvania (USA) with notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission; 595 East Rolling Ridge Drive; Bellefonte; PA 16823; USA; West Liberty University; Department of Organismal Biology; Ecology; and Zoo Science; West Liberty University; West Liberty; West Virginia 26074; USA
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Research Laboratory; 1671 Gold Star Drive; Raleigh; NC 27669; USA
EDGE Engineering & Science; LLC.; 3713 Morgan Drive; Weirton; WV 26062; USA; West Liberty University; Department of Organismal Biology; Ecology; and Zoo Science; West Liberty University; West Liberty; West Virginia 26074; USA; West Virginia University; School of Natural Resources and the Environment; West Virginia University; Morgantown; WV 26506; USA
West Liberty University; Department of Organismal Biology; Ecology; and Zoo Science; West Liberty University; West Liberty; West Virginia 26074; USA
Crustacea Cambarus species C Cambarus acuminatus new species Ridge and Valley Northern Piedmont Delaware James Roanoke invasive crayfish

Abstract

A new species of crayfish, Cambarus emegi sp. nov., is described from the upper James and Roanoke River basins in Virginia and the lower Delaware River basin in Pennsylvania, where it occurs in streams and small rivers. The species was formerly part of the Cambarus acuminatus species complex (Cambarus species C complex), a long-standing taxonomic enigma that is widely distributed across the Atlantic slope drainages of eastern North America. Cambarus emegi sp. nov. can be distinguished from Cambarus acuminatus due to the absence of a well-defined subpalmar tubercle, greater number of punctations across its areola, and differences in the mesial process of the form I male gonopod. Coloration and pattern in life differ between the two species. Additionally, the distributions of C. emegi sp. nov. and C. acuminatus are separated by hundreds of kilometers. The ranges of two other undescribed members of the Cambarus species C complex border that of C. emegi sp. nov. in Virginia. These species do not appear to overlap geographically; C. emegi sp. nov. is confined to the Ridge and Valley physiographic province, whereas the two undescribed species are found in the Blue Ridge and northern inner Piedmont regions. Cambarus emegi sp. nov. is morphologically similar but visually and genetically different from the undescribed species directly to the south in the upper Roanoke River system. Cambarus emegi sp. nov. is both visually and morphologically similar but genetically distinct from the undescribed species immediately downstream in the James River basin. Cambarus emegi sp. nov. is threatened by several potentially interacting factors including invasive crayfishes, narrow range, and urban and agricultural development. Alarmingly, the species is being rapidly replaced by invasive Faxonius species across a substantial part of its range. This paper represents an important step in providing the information needed to conserve and manage Cambarus emegi sp. nov.

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How to Cite

Lieb, D.A., Williams, B.W., Ii, D.A.F. & Loughman, Z.J. (2026) Description of a new stream-dwelling species of Cambarus (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from Virginia and Pennsylvania (USA) with notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status. Zootaxa, 5857 (2), 299–316. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5857.2.5