''Cherax snowden'' (junior synonym ''Cherax subterigneus'') is a 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 ...

from West Papua in Indonesia ( Oinsok River Drainage, Sawiat District, Chendravasikh and

Kepala Burung The Bird's Head Peninsula ( Indonesian: ''Kepala Burung'', nl, Vogelkop) or Doberai Peninsula (''Semenanjung Doberai''), is a large peninsula that makes up the northwest portion of the island of New Guinea, comprising the Indonesian provinces ...

Peninsulas). In the wild, they live in freshwater river tributaries. It is popular as a freshwater aquarium pet across Asia, Europe, and North America because of its orange-tipped claws. Specimens were previously misidentified as members of '' Cherax holthuisi'', also from West Papua. Adult body length is 10 cm for males and 7 cm for females. Different shades of green (brownish green and bluish green) is the predominant body color throughout their lives, their claw tips are orange. The first samples became known in the West in 2006 by means of internet pet shops. By the time it was examined by professional zoologists in 2015, ''Cherax snowden'', a new species of crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda, Parastacidae) from the Kepala Burung (Vogelkop) Peninsula in Irian Jaya (West Papua, Indonesia) was already popular as a pet in Europe, East Asia and America under the name "orange tip". The scientific species description was published by German zoologists from the Institute for Environmental Sciences

University of Koblenz and Landau The University of Koblenz and Landau (German ''Universität Koblenz-Landau'') is a public university located in Koblenz and Landau, Germany, founded in 1990. History and profile The University of Koblenz and Landau is one of the youngest univers ...

. The species was named after

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...

to honor his contribution to the

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogni ...

References

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* Parastacidae Crustaceans of Indonesia Edward Snowden Crustaceans described in 2015 Fauna of Western New Guinea {{Crayfish-stub

See also

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Further reading

External links