Top of page
Cave crayfish [Cambarus zophonastes]
The cave crayfish lacks pigment in both the body and the
eyes. It has a translucent carapace and a beaklike snout with several
spines. The overall body length reaches up to 2.5 inches. This crayfish
feeds on organic matter and detritus from cave bottoms and moves slowly
because of a slow metabolic rate. Reproduction of this species is also
slow as females deposit eggs perhaps only once every five years.
The cave crayfish lives only in cool water caves in the
complete absence of light along with colonies of gray bats (Myotis grisescens),
a federally Endangered mammal. This bat is the primary source of guano,
the organic matter that sustains the entire cave ecosystem with an energy
source. When bat populations decline, other cave species dependent on
guano also are reduced.
It is believed that the cave crayfish once inhabited caves
throughout the Ozarks Mountain cave system. Currently, less than 50 individuals
are believed to currently inhabit Hell Creek Cave in Stone County, Arkansas.
The most significant cause of the crayfish decline has been
attributed to the decline of gray bat populations. However, groundwater
quality within the cave system has deteriorated as runoff from agricultual
chemicals in the area has increased. The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission
regulates access to the cave to prevent human disturbance to the cave
but cannot control surrounding watersheds that flow into the cave. The
cave crayfish would certainly benefit from increased bat populations and
controlled introductions of foreign substances into the cave system.
Matthews, J.R. (ed.), The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered
Species Vol. II, Beacham Publishing Inc, Washington, DC. pp. 1025-1026.
![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}