First Record of the Blue Crawfish, Cambarus monongalensis Ortmann, 1905 (Decapoda: Cambaridae), from Ohio, USA

Abstract

This paper documents the first record of the blue crawfish, Cambarus monongalensis Ortmann, 1905, in the state of Ohio, United States. The blue crawfish is a small- to medium-sized primary burrowing crayfish common in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Because of the prevalence of this species on the east side of the Ohio River, numerous researchers have sought the blue crawfish in Ohio—to no avail. On 16 May 2020, turkey hunters in Monroe County, Ohio, located a blue-colored crayfish and sent photos to one of the authors of this study. On 19 May 2020, the authors sampled in the vicinity of where the photo was taken and located 4 sites that yielded a total of 5 blue crawfish specimens, confirming the existence of this species in Ohio. Further research is needed on the blue crawfish to determine its range and abundance in Ohio, and to explore factors relating to its biogeography.