Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-30-2015
Abstract
We report rediscovery of the Chihuahuan Dwarf Crayfish Cambarellus chihuahuae at the desert spring Ojo Solo in Ejido Rancho Nuevo in Chihuahua, México. This species was reported to be extinct. Morphological evaluation of 12 voucher specimens confirmed the population as C. chihuahuae. Crayfish were abundant upon rediscovery in September 2012 and remained so throughout bimonthly monitoring from February 2014 to April 2015. Despite abundance at Ojo Solo, the species is critically imperiled, with four of its five native habitats dry and the remaining one in decline; however, a population was established at Ojo Caliente, a nearby natural refuge habitat we created in Ejido Villa Ahumada y Anexos in late 2013. Conservation management of C. chihuahuae and associated endemic species is discussed.
Recommended Citation
Carson, Evan W., Carlos Pedraza-Lara, María de Lourdes Lozano-Vilano, Gabino A. Rodríguez-Almaráz, Iris Banda-Villanueva, Lissette A. Sepúlveda-Hernández, Lilia Vela-Valladares, Andrea Cantú-Garza, and Mauricio De la Maza-Benignos. "The Rediscovery and Precarious Status of Chihuahuan Dwarf Crayfish Cambarellus Chihuahuae." (2015).