Greenbrier Cave Crayfish
Cambarus nerterius Hobbs, 1964
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Cambaridae |
| Genus | Cambarus |
| Species | Cambarus nerterius Hobbs, 1964 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
Distribution
Type locality
Matts Black Cave, Greenbrier Co. WV
Range
Known from two counties in West Virginia in the Appalachians karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
West Virginia
Counties
- West Virginia
- Greenbrier, Pocahontas
Karst regions
Appalachians
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12S | mitochondrial | 1 | 305-305 bp | JX514628.1 |
| 16S | mitochondrial | 1 | 442-442 bp | JX514555.1 |
2 sequences, retrieved 23 August 2026. Counts change as sequences are deposited. Search GenBank.
Download all 2 sequence records (CSV) Accession, marker, molecule type, length, GenBank definition and a direct link.
Specimens
Type material
- Holotype
- USNM 111295 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Allotype
- USNM 111296 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype ×5
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 23 |
| North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences | 3 |
26 cataloged lots in 2 collections. Compiled from GBIF and not an exhaustive census: many collections are not yet digitised, and holdings are added continually. Search GBIF for specimen records.
Download all 26 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
NT Near Threatened na
Assessed in 2010.
NatureServe
G1 Critically Imperiled
Global rank last reviewed 5 April 2021.
Subnational ranks
- West Virginia
- S1 Critically Imperiled
Ranks looked up 23 August 2026. Conservation status changes, and a rank here is as current as that date and no more.
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Threats
- Agriculture - Crops
- Agriculture - Livestock
- Agriculture - Logging
- Oil & Gas Drilling
- Mining & Quarrying
- Recreational/Commerical Cave Activities
- Invasive Species
- Pollution -Sewage or Urban Wastewater
- Pollution - Commercial/Industrial
- Pollution - Agricultural & Forestry
Other resources
References
- Hobbs & H.H. Jr. 1989. An illustrated checklist of the American crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 480: 1–236. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.480
- Hobbs, H.H. Jr., Hobbs, H.H. III & Daniel, M.A. 1977. A review of the troglobitic decapod crustaceans of the Americas. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 244: 1–183.
- Holt, P.C. 1973. Branchiobdellids (Annelida: Clitellata) from some eastern North American caves, with descriptions of new species of the genus Cambarincola. International Journal of Speleology 5: 219–256.
- Stern, D.B., Breinholt, J., Pedraza-Lara, C., Lopez-Mejia, M., Owen, C.L., Bracken-Grissom, H., Fetzner, J.W., Jr. & Crandall, K.A. 2017. Phylogenetic evidence from freshwater crayfishes that cave adaptation is not an evolutionary dead-end. Evolution 71(10): 2522–2532. doi:10.1111/evo.13326
This account was last revised 28 August 2026. Conservation ranks were looked up 23 August 2026.
How to cite this account
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
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