User:Wildlife Nerd8694/Procambarus acutus

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Procambarus zonangulus, more commonly known as the white river crawfish or white river crayfish, is an invertebrate species taxonomically found in the Cambaridae family, aka the freshwater crayfish family.

^^ not to be confused with the closely related Procambarus acutus, which shares the same common name.

Distribution
Although it is unclear what the full native range of P. zonangulus exactly is, they are typically found ranging from Gulf Coast Plains of Texas and Louisiana, all the way up into the southern range of Arkansas.

Habitat
This is a species that especially thrives in seasonally flooded wetlands, preferably with actively flowing and well-oxygenated water. Outside of typical seasonal flood seasons they can be found in healthy streams and other strong oxygenated bodies of water.

General bauplan
P. zonangulus has all of the characteristics used to generally describe a freshwater species of crawfish. Their head is in an almost "tear-drop" like shape, connected to their carapace. On the head there is a set of antennas, followed by two sets of antennules, and then their rostrums and eyes. Between their head and carapace there is a cervical groove. There is a separation of the sides of the back that is called an areola, which almost forms a gap of types in the middle. Following the carapace, they have an abdomen that is finished with a telson and uropod.

Claws
Their claws tend to become more cylindrical and elongated with age, appearing a lot finer than other species in Procambarus.

Coloration
Their coloration holds true as to why they are commonly referred to as the White River Crawfish, with their legs holding a lighter shade of tan or white as compared to their carapace and head. Mature adults can sometimes appear to have a pink or purplish hue, but never red.

Reproduction
Although it is unclear if P. zonangulus has its own specific breeding habits, it is a species that fall under the Cambaridae family, freshwater crayfish, they are found to be gonochoristic and the males of this family have two different morphotypes, one being exclusively for reproduction.

edit^

P. zonangulus, being a species that falls under the Cambaridae family, shares a lot of its reproductive habits with other freshwater crayfish species. They are a gonochoristic species, meaning there are two set sexes within a population, and the males typically have two different morphotypes, one being exclusively for mating.

While this species may have swimmerets, there is currently no published evidence supporting their potential use in reproductive purposes.

Aquaculture
P. zonangulus is a species commonly used in aquaculture, and alongside its relative P. clarkii make up an economically important size of the market in the southern part of the United States.

Culture Method
The two most commonly used methods for farming crawfish are polyculture, raising crawfish alongside crops that can grow in their environments, and monocropping, exclusively raising crawfish.