NC Physiographic Region(s): western mountains

River Basin(s): Little Tennessee (Cheoah River drainage)

Adult Habitat: “streams” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); “springs and small to medium sized strams under rocks or in leaf litter…prefers streams flowing over limestone deposits” (Bouchard 1974)

Juvenile Habitat: n/a

Reproductive Season: n/a

Species associates: C. bartonii

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 Currently Stable throughout its range

Identification references: Hobbs Jr. 1989, Hobbs 1991, Jezerinac et al. 1995

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: cylindrical
coloration: brown with dark highlights; tips of fingers and stripe along lateral edge of fixed finger orange; red knob at base of dactyl dorsally; yellow tubercles: underside cream
spines: cervical and cephalic spines present; branchiostegal spine reduced or absent
rostrum: margins parallel; with median carina; having marginal spines
areola: medium, having 3-4 punctations across narrowest part
chelae: robust; bearing setae; two rows well-developed tubercles along mesial margin of palm
other characteristics: suborbital angle subacute or obsolete; serrate cutting edge of mandible (vs. smooth in O. rusticus)
form I male gonopod: long terminal elements; corneous central projection comprising approx. 40% of carapace length and approx. 40% of gonopod length and tapering to point; mesial process spatulate and subequal in length; well-developed right-angle shoulder at cephalic base of central projection