| Blue Crayfish | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| General information | |||
| Universe | Real Life | ||
| Aliases | Hoa Creek Blue Moon Irian Jaya | ||
| Classification | Cherax pulcher | ||
| Species type | Yabbie | ||
| Homeworld | Earth | ||
| Environment | Freshwater | ||
| Intelligence | Non-sapient | ||
| Biochemistry | Carbon-based lifeform | ||
| Discovered | Officially classified as a new species in 2015 | ||
| Biological information | |||
| Reproduction | Sexual; lays eggs | ||
| Average length | Male: 3-3.9" (75–98mm) Female: 3.3-3.5" (83–90mm) | ||
| Locomotion | Decapodal | ||
| Predators | Human | ||
| Lineage information | |||
| Related species | Cherax boesemani | ||
| Cultural information | |||
| Sociocultral characteristics | |||
| Scientific taxonomy | |||
| Planet | Earth | ||
| Domain | Eukaryota | ||
| Kingdom | Animalia | ||
| Subkingdom | Eumetazoa | ||
| Infrakingdom | Bilateria | ||
| Superphylum | Deuterostomia | ||
| Phylum | Arthropoda | ||
| Subphylum | Crustacea | ||
| Class | Malacostraca | ||
| Order | Decapoda | ||
| Family | Parastacidae | ||
| Genus | Cherax | ||
| Species | pulcher | ||
| Other information | |||
| This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors). |
The Blue Crayfish (Cherax pulcher) is a species of crayfish indigenous to Hoa Creek in Western New Guinea, Indonesia. Although it was a popular species for over a decade in exotic pet stores across three continents for use in freshwater aquariums, it was not classified as a unique species until 2015.
Etymology[]
The specific name is derived from the Latin word pulcher, which means "beautiful". The name was chosen due to the species' bright coloration.
Physiology[]
Blue Crayfish come in two known color variants: the primary colors are white, vivid blue and violet, while another is greenish-gray.
Males of the species measure 75–98 millimetres (3.0–3.9 in) in length, while females measure 83–90 millimetres (3.3–3.5 in) long. The body is slightly oval in shape. The species has notably large eyes.
The species is brightly colored, with a pink cephalothorax that fades into greenish-grey on the sides. The rostrum is a greenish-blue, and the pleon is dark blue or black, with pinkish-grey or cream coloration on the margins (in some individuals the pleon is greenish-grey with pink speckles). The tail fan is cream-colored or pink around the outside margin. The legs are blue, and the chelae are blue with varying intensities, with cream-colored or white margins.