Relatively slender claws and body, as well as differences in the plate-like projection between its eyes, differentiate the Greenbrier crayfish from its cousin, the Big Water crayfish. The Greenbrier species is found only in the Greenbrier River and its headwaters.
"We found that you start seeing it around Anthony," Loughman said. "It becomes more and more common as you head upriver."
The new species is pretty good-sized. It averages 3 to 3 1/2 inches from the tip of its tail to the tip of its nose, and 5 to 6 inches from the tip of its tail to the tips of its claws.
Twenty-three crayfish species live within West Virginia's borders. Only three are completely endemic -- the Elk River crayfish, the Greenbrier Cave crayfish and now the Greenbrier crayfish. Loughman said the new species is abundant through its range, but added that the range isn't very large.
"Because of the limited range, it was suggested that the species be considered 'threatened' within the state," he said. "The DNR hasn't yet decided whether to put it on the protected list. If [DNR officials] consider it worthy of federal protection, they'll make that recommendation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Loughman considers the new species' population to be stable.
"If some sort of environmental problem arose in the headwaters of the Greenbrier, the Greenbrier crayfish would be in trouble," he said. "Fortunately, most of the river's upper headwaters lie within the Monongahela National Forest and are pretty well protected."
The new crayfish's natural predators include smallmouth bass, rock bass, raccoons and the giant salamanders known as "hellbenders." Loughman and his associates also have discovered that it and other crayfish species play an important role in any river's ecosystem.
"If anyone asks, 'Why should I care about a crawdad?' they should consider this," Loughman said. "Crayfish are always digging. They stay in a burrow for two to three weeks, then leave. The holes they leave behind become hiding places for other critters, including fish. Young smallmouth bass and channel catfish are heavily dependent on crayfish holes."
Loughman said his discovery of the new crayfish species is significant for two reasons.
"One, it's a species found only in West Virginia," he said, "and two, it increases the state's biological diversity by one organism."
The new species is pretty good-sized. It averages 3 to 3 1/2 inches from the tip of its tail to the tip of its nose, and 5 to 6 inches from the tip of its tail to the tips of its claws.
Twenty-three crayfish species live within West Virginia's borders. Only three are completely endemic -- the Elk River crayfish, the Greenbrier Cave crayfish and now the Greenbrier crayfish. Loughman said the new species is abundant through its range, but added that the range isn't very large.
"Because of the limited range, it was suggested that the species be considered 'threatened' within the state," he said. "The DNR hasn't yet decided whether to put it on the protected list. If [DNR officials] consider it worthy of federal protection, they'll make that recommendation to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."
Loughman considers the new species' population to be stable.
"If some sort of environmental problem arose in the headwaters of the Greenbrier, the Greenbrier crayfish would be in trouble," he said. "Fortunately, most of the river's upper headwaters lie within the Monongahela National Forest and are pretty well protected."
The new crayfish's natural predators include smallmouth bass, rock bass, raccoons and the giant salamanders known as "hellbenders." Loughman and his associates also have discovered that it and other crayfish species play an important role in any river's ecosystem.
"If anyone asks, 'Why should I care about a crawdad?' they should consider this," Loughman said. "Crayfish are always digging. They stay in a burrow for two to three weeks, then leave. The holes they leave behind become hiding places for other critters, including fish. Young smallmouth bass and channel catfish are heavily dependent on crayfish holes."
Loughman said his discovery of the new crayfish species is significant for two reasons.
"One, it's a species found only in West Virginia," he said, "and two, it increases the state's biological diversity by one organism."
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