Montezuma dwarf crayfish

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Montezuma dwarf crayfish
Montezuma dwarf crayfish (Cambarellus montezumae)

Montezuma dwarf crayfish ( Cambarellus montezumae )

Systematics
Order : Decapods (decapoda)
Partial order : Large crayfish (Astacidea)
Superfamily : Crayfish (Astacoidea)
Family : Cambaridae
Genre : Dwarf crayfish ( Cambarellus )
Type : Montezuma dwarf crayfish
Scientific name
Cambarellus montezumae
( Saussure , 1857)

The Montezuma crayfish ( Cambarellus montezumae ) or Mexican crayfish is a crayfish of the genus dwarf crayfish ( Cambarellus ). It lives in the fresh water of the Mexican plateau and along the Gulf coast . It is named after the Aztec ruler Montezuma , who lived in Tenochtitlán in the "Mexico Basin" , where the species also occurs. The species was described by Henri de Saussure in 1857 as Cambarus Montezumae . Numerous subspecies have been identified, which some authors considered species.

description

The male Montezuma dwarf crayfish grows to an average of 30 to 35 mm long, the females grow to be up to 40 mm larger. However, specimens up to 7 centimeters have also been caught. The color is mostly light brown to coffee brown, sometimes also spotted, whereby the claws of the males are often reddish.

In contrast to many other types of cancer, the species is extremely peaceful. It often happens that some crabs are missing scissors. These are often females whose scissors were torn off by a male while mating. However, this grows back with the subsequent moult .

nutrition

The Montezuma pygmy crayfish is omnivorous . It eats fruits and leaves, fish and carrion that have fallen into the water .

use

The Montezuma pygmy crayfish was counted among the " major species of economic importance " by the FAO in 1997 in a study on fisheries in smaller freshwaters in Mexico . This dwarf crayfish is caught year-round in Mexico, the annual catch was given in the study as 33 tons.

attitude

Cambarellus montezumae , like other dwarf crayfish, has become a popular aquarium animal because of its small size and relatively easy maintenance. However, it is much livelier and more aggressive towards other species than the similar Cambarellus shuffeldtii , which is why it is usually kept in a species aquarium . In the aquarium keeping, the species also eats oak and beech leaves, fish food and vegetables.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Fish species Mexico at www.fao.org (English)
  2. ↑ Species description at www.wirbellose.de
  3. ↑ Fish species Mexico at www.fao.org (English)
  4. ↑ Mexico: Fish species , Chapter 8.8.1, at FAO , (English)

literature

  • Horton H. Hobbs, Jr .: An Illustrated Checklist of the American Crayfishes (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae, and Parastacidae) . Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 480, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, 1989.
  • Uwe Werner: Cambarellus montezumae. In: Claus Schaefer, Torsten Schröer (Ed.) The large lexicon of aquaristics. 2 volumes. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8001-7497-9 , Volume 1, p. 192.

Web links