Red, White and Blue Crayfish Species Discovered in Indonesia

Posted on May 27, 2015

A colorful new crayfish species has been discovered in Indonesia. The freshwater crayfish is from Hoa Creek, close to the village Teminabuan in the southern-central part of the Kepala Burung (Vogelkop) Peninsula, West Papua, Indonesia.

The creature is described in a paper in ZooKeys by Christian Lukhaup, an independent research from Germany. New Scientist reports that Lukhaup did his own detective work to track down the origins of the crayfish.

Lukhaup told New Scientist, "It is like an investigation in a crime case. This is the only way to find out more."

Lukhaup eventually found specimens in Hoa Creek after seeing specimens on sale by suppliers since the early 2000. He identified it as a new species and named it Cherax pulcher. Cherax is a genus of crayfish found in New Guinea in Indonesia. The word "pulcher" means beautiful in Latin. Lukhaup says in ZooKeys that Cherax pulcher differs from all other crayfish of its subgenus "in the shape of its chelae, shape of body and also in its coloration."

There is concern about the global aquarium trade as a threat to C. pulcher. Lukhaup says in his paper, "According to local collectors in the area and the city of Sorong, the populations of the species have been decreasing in the last few years. Clearly, the continued collection of these crayfish for the trade is not a sustainable practice, and if the popularity of the species continues, a conservation management plan will have to be developed, including a captive breeding program."

ANIMALS