Please help for to ID a wild variety of a Dwarf Crayfish from Mexico, and advice for their care.

FishForums.net Pet of the Month
🐶 POTM Poll is Open! 🦎 Click here to Vote! 🐰

TiercelR

New Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2019
Messages
55
Reaction score
19
Location
mexico city
Hello all, please help for to ID a wild variety of a Dwarf Crayfish species from Mexico, and advice for their care.

In this moment i have six 6 individuals of them. One of them apparently is a female caring for their eggs, due by the position of her tail and the way she moves her plepodods. She is the lonely female of the group that apparently is in waiting for new borns. Also, the bigger of these individuals have the most lightest colors and at the same time it have the most notorious strips in its body. The rest of the individuals have much more darker colors than this the most bigger individual of this group.

Possibly they belongs to the Genus: Cambarellus, but could be a some difficult to determine to which species of Cambarellus exactly they belongs.

Apparently, this species is very active during daylight and quiet during the night.

They looks very similar to the next three 3 species: C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ), or C. schmitti, or C. shufeldtii ( its striped variant ).

But i am completely sure that this particular species comes both from Central Mexico and from high lands. So, possibly this species paticularly do not belongs to the two 2 last species mentioned above, and it have a chance of to be the C. patzcuarensis ( its brown color morph ) (?). Still the chance of this species being another knowed different species than the three 3 mentioned above, or too, this species could be an unknowed species. But nothing better than the comments from the experts that do visit this thread !

The tank have a small stone-aereator of a blue color while i can be able of changing it ( as soon as possible ) for a miniature sponge filter.

This small stone-aereator is being powered by the most smaller of all the air pumps i could find, but the inner current of water still being very strong in the tank, and for this reason i will add a valvule for to control the force of the air.

The substrate is a very thin layer ( of two 2 millimeters at most ) of silical sand of the most fine grade ( just the same grade that the used inside the pool filters ), and this sand is of a ligh beige color. I know that this graduation of the sand is very bad for the filtration of the bottom of the tank if thick substrates are being used, but the layer is so thin that this is not a problem in this particular tank. Also, i know that the black color is the most recommended color as substrate for the tanks of the shrimps ( for to enhance their bright colors ), but in the case of this particular species of Dwarf Crayfish ( which have opaque colors ), maybe the light color of this substrate could enhance their opaque colors (?).

Also, the tank have a bunch of branches of the plant Elodea densa ( Egeria densa ). I have sunked all the bunch using six 6 saltwater fishing swivels, but i will change them as soon as possible for another weighted objects, because the Crayfish is very sensitive to the metals in the water. The purpose of to sunk the plants is for to give perching surfaces.

Actually i am in a hurry for to add in this tank, as soon as possible, a few of home made pvc shelters. They looks very uglies, but the clay versions of them for sale are very expansive.

The photographs 1 & 2 are from their 20 liters tank, which do not have a heater and it is keeped at a natural temperature indoors.

The photographs 3, 4, & 5 they are inside the transporting plastic bag.

The photographs 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 they are inside their tank.
Thanks, regards.


Phograph # 1
PICT4951.JPG

Phograph # 2
PICT4950.JPG

Phograph # 3
PICT4918.JPG

Phograph # 4
PICT4917.JPG

Phograph # 5
PICT4920.JPG

Phograph # 6
PICT4923.JPG

Phograph # 7
PICT4927.JPG

Phograph # 8
PICT4929.JPG

Phograph # 9
PICT4930.JPG

Phograph # 10
PICT4948.JPG
 
I would have the female in her own tank to give birth, then move her out so she doesn't eat the young.

Virtually all freshwater crayfish are scavengers that eat just about anything ranging from plant matter, dead fish, shrimp, insect larvae, even each other.

You can have sand or gravel on the bottom, it doesn't make a lot of difference to them.

I can't help identify them. If they were Australian, not a problem, but I have no idea what's in North or South America. You local department of fisheries might have a chart or guide to identifying local freshwater crayfish. Perhaps check their website or visit a library and look for books like "field guide to freshwater crayfish of Mexico". Field guides tend to have all the known species in and tells you how to identify them.
 
I would have the female in her own tank to give birth, then move her out so she doesn't eat the young.

Virtually all freshwater crayfish are scavengers that eat just about anything ranging from plant matter, dead fish, shrimp, insect larvae, even each other.

You can have sand or gravel on the bottom, it doesn't make a lot of difference to them.

I can't help identify them. If they were Australian, not a problem, but I have no idea what's in North or South America. You local department of fisheries might have a chart or guide to identifying local freshwater crayfish. Perhaps check their website or visit a library and look for books like "field guide to freshwater crayfish of Mexico". Field guides tend to have all the known species in and tells you how to identify them.

Hello Colin_T, many thanks for your response and advice, this help me so much !

I can not find a book exactly named as so, but i will contact with my local department of fisheries in his web site for to ID this species.

Also, now this female is living alone in her own 20 liters tank with a clone of the inner landscape of her previous communal tank. And right now i am preparing things for the cultivation of green water for to feed the new borns if i have success breeding this particular female, and also future newborn fishes.
Many thanks again !
 
not sure but my dwarf Brazos crayfish look similar.:dunno:
Hello DragonScales+Doubletails, many thanks for your reply !
I have seen a few photographs in the web of the Dwarf Brazos Crayfish, and a some individuals really have very similar looking both in color and bands with a few of the individuals i have here. But i will wait for more information for their ID ! Thanks !
 

Most reactions

trending

Members online

Back
Top