''Cambarellus patzcuarensis'' is a small, threatened species of

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the clade Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. In some locations, they are also known as crawfish, craydids, crawdaddies, crawdads, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, rock lobsters, mu ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cambaridae. It is native to Mexico and often kept in aquariums.

Description

It measures in total length, including claws. Most specimens found in the wild are brown, sometimes with a gray or blue tint. ''Cambarellus patzcuarensis'' var. "Orange" (Mexican dwarf crayfish, sometimes Mexican dwarf orange crayfish) is an orange-coloured mutation often held in aquariums, but this form is rarely found in the wild.

Distribution

The

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

is named after Lake Pátzcuaro, at an altitude of in

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. Besides in Lake Pátzcuaro, ''C. patzcuarensis'' also occurs in springs in Chapultepec, Opopeo and Tzurumutaro.

Conservation

''C. patzcuarensis'' is listed as an

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1519675 Cambaridae Endemic crustaceans of Mexico Crustaceans described in 1943