NC Physiographic Region(s): southwestern mountains

River Basin(s): French Broad (likely absent from Pigeon and Nolichucky sub-basins), upper Savannah (probably not native here), and portions of Little Tennessee (Oconaluftee sub-basin)

Adult Habitat: “streams” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “moderately flowing streams in headwaters” (NHP ICAS 1999); "slack or slow-moving wafers of low gradient and generally with considerable organic debris" (Cooper and Braswell 1995)

Juvenile Habitat: n/a

Reproductive Season: fall through mid-summer?

Species associates: n/a

Conservation status: placed on North Carolina Watch List (W.F. Adams and J.E. Cooper in Clamp 1999); considered by Taylor et al. (1996) to be a species of Special Concern

Identification references: Hobbs Jr. 1989, Hobbs 1991

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: cylindrical
coloration: often bearing double stripes down dorsal abdomen; usually shades of brown and red but blueish forms exist
spines: strong cervical spines; cephalic and branchiostegal spines present; marginal spines absent
rostrum: very long and acuminate; medium to narrow in width
areola: wide
chelae: reduced and Procambarus-like; opposable margins of fingers without prominent tubercles on distal half; double row of tubercles on mesial margin of palm
other characteristics: suborbital angle obtuse or absent
form I male gonopod: corneous central projection bearing subapical notch and slightly longer than mesial process; mesial process bulbous at base and tapering distally, and bending mesially