I have a cabin on a strip mining pit in southern Indiana. All over the yard the crawfish build mounds that they live down in. I have only caught 2, and they were rather large like little lobsters. Does anyone know what kind they could be?
I am from southern Indiana (Spencer county) and a published crayfish expert. Three species are particularly abundant throughout much of the southern part of state and make turrets as you describe. Common names are Digger Crayfish and Devil Crayfish. Latter is actually two sympatric species that differ most in where adults live outside breeding season.
How do papershells compete with these burrowing crayfish in Indiana ponds?
That is more than I thought anyone knew about Indiana crawdads. Thanks!
RAH, I think papershells burrough in rocks instead of making clay mounds in the yard. Outside of that, I don't know.
Papershells / Calico Crayfish Orconectes immunis in stream settings are more strongly associated with lowland streams where they can burrow into clay pan. They also are more tolerant of stream drying out periodically than the other species species that are also primarily aquatic occurring in same areas. When I have had outbreaks of Digger Crayfish, it involves only young-of-year that were spawned back in March and April. The adults stay in ponds for most part only to breed, then they move away from waters edge. Sometimes the digger crayfish YOY abundance can be very high, especially when no crayfish eating fish present. Generally they YOY will have moved away from the open water of pond to more terrestrial / digging mode of living.
Both of the devil crayfish species also operate only in open water when very young and when breeding. In stock ponds used for watering and minnow production production ponds, a strong Calico Crayfish population can push the digger crayfish out. The Devil's type crayfishes can still persist but at lower abundance. The Calico crayfish is preferred for a variety of reasons, including not digging as much through levees. Virile Crayfish and White Crawfish can also suppress the Digger but latter is hard on levees too. What I call the two Devils Crayfishes are referred to as Cambarus polychromatus and C. diogenes in linked document above. The big eyed critter is the one that as adult moves a good distance from ponds and streams they breed in.
Thank you. I am hoping the papershells in my YP/SMB pond can compete well with the burrowing types (have a riprap jetty that I built for them and the emergent plants and waterlilies are spreading nicely for cover). Have not really seen any crayfish lately, but there are quite a few young YP in the pond based on what comes out the exit pipe when we had heavy rains. Also had good LCS spawn, but not sure about the SMB. I only stocked 20 of the SMB in the 1 acre pond so they will be well fed.
How do papershells compete with these burrowing crayfish in Indiana ponds?
I have not watched for the actual mechanism(s). My guess is that once the Papershell gets its population up with age-2, age-1 and YOY; then they dominate the other Digger and other two species by being more adapted to competitive aquatic setting and having greater size against the YOY Diggers that come in every spring. I am used to finding diggers doing best in ponds that are ephemeral like used by mole salamanders and Spring Peepers. They do not have to compete with other crayfishes there.
I have built several vernal pools both in woodland and open meadow/prairie area, and also built both emergent and forested wetlands, so I think our diggers will find homes on our place too. They seem to like low area near our steams as well. Only one of our 3 fish ponds has papershells. I have only seen one salamander on our place (mole), but that was years ago. My son found it near a seep as the last snow was melting. We have mostly reclaimed farmland, so perhaps they are gone? The big creek where most of the surrounding ground drains is considered impaired by the EPA due to animal operations and small-town sewage plants, so the path to our place may be hard for salamanders. We do have huge aquatic and tree frog populations, and the spring peepers can be deafening during courtship.
Diggers are not real good at getting away from their bottom land habitat. The C. diogenes is much better with C. polychromatus being intermediate.
Great to have a crayfish expert to help us all learn!
pictures, pictures! we want pictures!!
How did you catch them? I have several turrets but haven't actually seen a crawfish around the pond or my creeks. I'd like to be able to ID them but wasn't sure if they could be trapped. I've never had any enter my cloverleaf.
I catch such crayfishes at night. Fresh turrets are knocked over. A little bit later I walk about looking for crayfish approaching tops of burrows. You must be quite or they will retreat back down which can be multiple feet to the water table. When crayfish has been selected as a good target, you then push a shovel blade into soil part way. Objective is have so you can stomp shovel balance of way in behind crayfish blocking it's retreat. The you dig a little with a trowel or simply lever soil out with shovel. Some crayfish will be damaged. Another method requiring more preparation involves trickling water into burrow using a small siphon pulling water from a bucket to simulate a rain. Fishing them out is better for kids to do.