Hell Creek Cave Crayfish
Cambarus zophonastes Hobbs & Bedinger, 1964
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Malacostraca |
| Order | Decapoda |
| Family | Cambaridae |
| Genus | Cambarus |
| Species | Cambarus zophonastes Hobbs & Bedinger, 1964 |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Stygobiont
- Realm
- Aquatic
- Troglomorphy
- Troglomorphic
- Maximum length
- 76 mm
Distribution
Type locality
Hells Creek Cave, Stone Co., AR
Range
Known from one county in Arkansas in the Ozarks karst region.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Arkansas
Counties
- Arkansas
- Stone
Karst regions
Ozarks
Genetics
Molecular resources
| Marker | Molecule | Sequences | Length | Exemplar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COI | mitochondrial | 2 | 499-553 bp | MT012504.1 |
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 108356 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Allotype
- USNM 108357 · National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Paratype ×2
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Collections holding material
| Institution | Lots |
|---|---|
| National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution | 6 |
6 cataloged lots in 1 collection. 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 6 specimen records (CSV) Institution, catalog number, type status and preparation. No coordinates.
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
CR Critically Endangered B2ab(iii)
Assessed in 2010.
NatureServe
G1 Critically Imperiled
Global rank last reviewed 2 May 2019.
Subnational ranks
- Arkansas
- 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
Endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, listed in 1987.
Federal: Endangered
Threats
- Overcollection - Amateur
- Recreational/Commerical Cave Activities
- 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.
- McDaniel, V.R. & Smith, K.L. 1976. Cave fauna of Arkansas: selected invertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 30: 57–60. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol30/iss1/22. details
- Simon, T.P. 2011. Conservation status of North American freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Cambaridae) from the southern United States. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 120(1–2): 71–95. https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/ias/article/download/21024/20442/0. details
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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