Louisiana crayfish: characteristics, food and breeding

The red swamp crayfish is a variety of Cambarid freshwater crayfish. It is also known as red swamp crayfishLwhite crayfish, Louisiana crayfish Where mud bug.

It is native to northern Mexico and the southern and southeastern United States. But it has also been introduced to other places (in North America and other continents) where it is often an invasive pest.

The red swamp crayfish was likely introduced through aquaculture because it is a popular food around the world.

It has also been introduced outside of its native range in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, and other parts of the Americas. Learn more about this cancer below.

Characteristics of the red swamp crayfish

The red swamp crayfish is usually dark red in color with long claws and a head. On the sides of the carapace, just below the head, it has small spikes or they are completely absent.

These crayfish have rows of bright red bumps on the front and sides of the first leg.

The average body length of a mature red swamp crayfish is 2.2 to 4.7 cm.

And they reach an average live weight of about 50 grams in 3-5 months. Photos and information from Wikipedia.

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The red swamp crayfish feeds mainly on snails, fish, amphibians and plants.

reproduction

The red swamp crayfish lives in a variety of permanent freshwater habitats. They prefer ponds, swamps, swamps, and slow-moving rivers and streams. But they can also take root in lakes.

They are particularly well suited to areas with large fluctuations in water levels. They usually mate in the fall and lay their eggs from spring to early summer in their native range.

The females burrow into the soft sediments and lay their eggs. Depending on the size of the females, the number of eggs may vary. Large female fish can lay up to 650 eggs at a time.

Advantages

This type of fish is used and cultivated mainly for food.

Special Notes

It is a very important species for commercial aquaculture and accounts for the vast majority of crayfish farmed in the United States and other countries.

In the 18th century, crawfish farming began in Louisiana. But overall production of these species has declined in recent years due to increased imports from China.

And China is currently the largest producer of crayfish. It has also been introduced to many other places of cultivation, such as Spain.

Red swamp crayfish are eaten in the Caribbean, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, Australia, Africa, China, Europe, Cambodia and the United States.

About 98% of crayfish harvested in the United States come from Louisiana. However, check out the full breed profile of this fish species in the table below.