Q.
I live in Goderich, Ont. Can. I was walking
in our local Maitland River this week. I found
a bright blue crayfish. I’ve spent quite a lot
of time in this river and have never seen
anything like it. I have tried to get information
at our local resource centers, but have been unable
to find out anything about my blue crayfish. Could
you please help me find some information, as I think
blue crayfish are pretty rare in our area.
A.
I looked up what I could find about crayfish
coloration; the following information is from
Pennak’s “Freshwater Invertebrates of the United
States,” 3rd. ed. He says that crayfish normally
range from blackish through brown, red, orange,
green and occasionally blue. He further states
that newly molted animals are usually brighter
in color than those who have accumulated silt,
dirt, and other material to dull their color.
Often, crayfish closely mimic the color of the
substratum where they are found, but this obviously
takes time to develop.
Thus, although you obviously haven’t seen many
blue crayfish in your region, this color is not
unusual.
If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
The ‘Stream Doctor’ is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.
Originally published September 13th, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.