Aquatic Invertebrates - native

Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on Aug 28, 2021

Originally reported as Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Submitter does not have a specimen

Description of specimen

5-6 in. long

Commentary

Hello and thank you for your report, and apologies for the delay in response. It is hard to tell from the photo but I think this may be a native signal crayfish, given the white spot on the claw. Crayfish can come in a variety of colors, so color itself is usually not enough to make an ID. There is a great fact sheet from ODFW that points out some of the key features of species in Oregon: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/invasive_species/docs/Crayfish_Comparison.pdf
Please feel free to report other sightings, we recently learned there is a new-to-Oregon invasive crayfish, virile crayfish, that was reported via this Hotline. You can read about that via OPB: https://www.opb.org/article/2022/05/22/invasive-crayfish-found-in-oregon-for-first-time/
Best,
Lindsey

Lindsey Wise
May 23, 2022, 6:07 a.m.