Crayfishes, Shrimps and Crabs of New York's Inland Waters
Table of Contents
	New York Species	Research Needs

CONSERVATION

Northern clearwater crayfish (Orconectes propinquus) Photo by Robert Daniels.

Given the depauperate nature of the decapod fauna in the state, it is unlikely that any species has been extirpated or has become extinct. However, records needed to test this assumption are lacking. Two species, C. diogenes and P. kadiakensis, appear to be rare and are confined to a single drainage in the state. The status of both species is problematic. No extensive field survey has been undertaken for either species in recent years. Little is known on the range and population size of both species; external factors that affect these characteristics also are unknown. It is possible that both species are imperiled in fact if not law. At present, however, no decapod species in New York is listed as imperiled by either federal or state agencies.

The presence of exotic species has affected the range and population size of native crayfishes (Daniels 1998). In fact, establishment of exotic decapods may be the most serious threat facing native decapods in the state. At present, it is difficult to assess the effect of exotic species since most have become established relatively recently. Clearly, O. rusticus has had a major impact on native crayfishes in the areas in which it has become established. Hemigrapsis sanguineus may also pose a threat to native species (Ledesma and O’Connor 2001), based on habitat use and the feeding ecology of this species. In addition to the arrival of exotic species, decapods face many of the same threats faced by all aquatic organisms: establishment of exotic species other than decapods, incompatible land-use practices in the drainage, in-stream modifications of substrate and flow, pollution, and pollution abatement practices. Over-harvest does not seem to be a problem at present for any species and hybridization appears to be rare.

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