Hidden in one of Australia’s most developed and fastest growing areas lives one of the world’s smallest freshwater crayfish species. Robert B. McCormack the Team Leader for the Australian Crayfish Project described the new species belonging to the genus Gramastacus, after 8 years of research in the swamps and creeks of coastal New South Wales, Australia. The study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
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Being
a small crayfish species it has remained undescribed and undiscovered in one of
the fastest developing regions of Australia. Only one other species of Gramastacus
crayfish is known and it occurs some 900 km away in the Grampians region of
Victoria.
This new species is found in lowland ephemeral habitats surrounding
coastal lakes and lagoons from Wamberal Lagoon, north along the coastal strip
to Wallis Lake. Being dependent on regular natural flooding and drying cycles,
only lowland, swampy areas are suitable for this tiny crayfish.
Each crayfish digs a small rounded cross-section burrow up to one
meter deep into the water table to survive the drying cycle. Some areas are
riddled with these small burrows as they are a very prolific species and can
occur in very high numbers in small habitat areas.
The newly described crayfish are found in one of Australia’s most
developed regions. Unfortunately, this means that much of their habitat has
been lost in the past as these ephemeral areas are the first to be drained or
reclaimed to make way for agriculture, industry, housing developments, golf
courses, infrastructure, etc. Now, being found and officially described, this
crayfish must be considered in any further developments and hopefully future
habitat loss will be reduced.
The
scattered populations of Gramastacus seem highly fragmented and a range
of risks other than human development increasingly threatens many. Invasive
crayfish, pest fish species like plague minnows and swordtails, rising sea
levels and falling water tables all are increasing dangers. Luckily, the large
number of National Parks and Reserves along the coastal strip provides safe
refuges for some populations.
About the Australian Crayfish Project
The Australian Crayfish Project (ACP) is a privately funded project
conducted in one of the most diverse ranges of freshwater crayfish. There is
much confusion with the description and distribution of species and many
species remain undiscovered undescribed. The project discovers dozens of
new species or new populations never known to exist. Their goal is to identify
all species of freshwater crayfish and their habitat, to protect and conserve
them.
Read more at The Australian
Aquatic Biological Pty, Ltd.
Gramastacus
crayfish via Rob McCormack, aabio.