Biologists identify largest crayfish species in North America

A collaborative effort among biologists and museum curators has identified the largest crayfish specimens in North America. The study, published in the journal Ecology, involved measuring collections across the country to rank the largest individuals among 18 different species.

The record-holder was identified as a Tennessee bottlebrush crayfish held in the West Liberty University Astacology Collection in West Virginia. This specimen, collected in 2011 by Dr. Zac Loughman and students, measured 86.6 millimeters in carapace length, excluding its tail, claws, and antennae.

The research was prompted by a bio-survey in Kentucky by Caitlin Bloomer, a teaching assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who discovered a large specimen known as a ‘Crawzilla’ crawdad. While her specimen did not take the top spot, it was noted as the only burrowing crayfish to appear in the top 20 rankings.