NC Physiographic Region(s): western mountains; likely absent from higher elevations

River Basin(s): upper Little Tennessee

Adult Habitat: “streams” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); "streams of medium to low gradient, flowing in some cases over gravel and rubble and in other cases over heavy sediments" (McLarney 1993); “associated with debris in slower parts of swift streams and areas lacking other crayfish competitors; seems unable to compete with C. bartonii in riffle areas; seems to hide in trapped leaf debris” (NHP ICAS 1999)

Juvenile Habitat: n/a

Reproductive Season: spring and fall

Species associates: C. bartonii, C. asperimanus

Conservation status: state-listed as Special Concern in North Carolina (J.E. Cooper and W.O. McLarney in Clamp 1999); considered by Taylor et al. (1996) to be Endangered

Identification references: Hobbs Jr. 1989, Hobbs 1991; also see description by J.E. Cooper and W.O. McLarney inClamp (1999)

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: n/a
coloration: brown and brick red, occasionally bluish gray, with dark saddlelike marking and splotches on carapace, tips of fingers reddish, abdominal pleura with dark, L-shaped markings
spines: cervical, branchiostegal, and cephalic spines/tubercles present; marginal spines or notches present
rostrum: dorsal surface excavate, somewhat long and narrow with straight but converging margins; with marginal spines or notches and long narrow acumen
areola: very wide and punctate
chelae: not robust; usually only single row of tubercles on mesial margin of palm, sometimes with several tubercles in second row
other characteristics: large eyes; acute suborbital angle
form I male gonopod: terminal elements equal in length; corneous central projection with subapical notch and curved over 90 degrees; mesial process bulbous and hardly tapering (rounded) but with point at apex