With about 63 species, Mississippi has one of the most diverse crayfish faunas in the world and is home to at least 17 endemic species (meaning they occur nowhere else). Mississippi’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy deems 18 species in need of “immediate conservation action or research”.
Crayfishes live in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, rivers, streams, springs, seasonally wet habitats such as roadside ditches, and even relatively dry, upland habitats such as savannahs and lawns. In addition to being a popular food for people, crayfishes play diverse and important ecological roles in the various habitats they occupy.
To learn more about crayfishes visit the Crayfish & Website Info. section of this website in the main navigation.
About This Website
The Mississippi Crayfishes website provides general information about crayfishes known to occur in the state. From the MS Crayfish Species List, fact sheets and photographs can be viewed for many species, and more will be available in the future. The interactive maps allow anyone to search for lists of species by county or by US Geologic Survey “hydrologic unit code” (HUC) or to map species distributions throughout the state by county and HUC. Additional search options and access to site locations and database records are available to those with a research, management, or planning need for the information.
Information about the Mississippi crayfish database can be found on the Crayfish & Website Info. page listed in the navigation.
Sources of Error in the Database
We have NOT re-examined any museum specimens to verify species identifications. To read about other potential sources of error, see the Sources of Error in the Database section of the Crayfish & Website Info. page listed in the navigation.
Researchers, Biologists and Planners
Further search options and access to site locations and database records are available to those with a research, management, or planning need.
For more information about crayfishes, please contact:
Susan B. Adams, Ph.D.
Research Aquatic Ecologist
US Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research
1000 Front St., Oxford, MS 38655
phone: (662) 234-2744 ext. 267
e-mail:
sadams01@fs.fed.us
//www.srs.fs.usda.gov/cbhr/
For more information about this website or to report problems, please contact:
Gayle Henderson
IT Specialist
US Forest Service, Southern Research Station
Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research
1000 Front St., Oxford, MS 38655
phone: (662) 234-2744 ext. 247