WV Is Home to Blue Crawdads
Ever seen a blue crayfish? According to Zachary Loughman, Professor and Co-chair of the Dept of Biological Sciences at West Liberty University, there are about 10 crawdad species that are blue, but West Virginia is one of the best places to see one. In fact, West Virginia has four distinct species that are almost always blue.
All four of the blue species in West Virginia are burrowing crawfish, meaning you won’t see them in creeks and streams, because they dig holes down to the groundwater to keep their gills wet.
However, according to Loughman, the odds of seeing one are “pretty good,” depending on the weather. You’re most likely to see them in the spring between March and early June when there’s rain, and they are most likely to come out of their burrows at night. Loughman said the best way to see one is to find a burrow during the day and then come back to it with a flashlight after it gets dark.
The burrow entrances are marked by small “chimneys” made of mud that are often on hillsides and in ditches and swamps. Loughman said during his research, his team has had to dig up to six feet underground to find some species of burrowing crawdads, especially in the later spring and summer months.
Which blue crawdad you might encounter depends on where you are in West Virginia. There is no overlap in distribution among the four species, and they are all unique and distinct from each other, so some species are easier to find than others.
A species simply called the Blue Crayfish was discovered more than 100 years ago and is the most widespread species of blue crawdad in West Virginia. They can be found on the Allegheny Plateau in the northern parts of the state as well as in southern parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Its scientific name, Cambarus monongalensis, is for the Monongahela River. The blue crayfish can be identified by the bright red on the tips of its claws. About half of the population of Blue Crayfish live in West Virginia.
If you’re in the higher elevations of West Virginia’s Allegheny Mountains, you might see an Allegheny Mountain Mudbug. It’s the smallest of West Virginia’s blue crawdads and only gets to be about an inch long. Loughman said that it’s the most likely species to see walking around and not in a burrow. He frequently gets reports of these crawdads being seen by hikers in places like Dolly Sods and the Cranberry Wilderness. The majority of its distribution is in West Virginia.
The Blue Teays Mudbug can be found in – the Teays Valley area. It can be found along the Interstate 64 corridor between Charleston and Huntington and along the Kanawha River between Charleston and Point Pleasant. The blue color of the Blue Teays can vary a lot from animal to animal, ranging from a pale blue to almost purple. It can only be found in West Virginia.
The Meadow River Mudbug is located in high-elevation wetlands in the southern part of West Virginia, spanning from Union in Monroe County up to Lewisburg in Greenbrier County. It is “chunky” compared to the other blue crawfish in the state, and has white on its claws and a plate between its eyes. It also can only be found in West Virginia.
Of the four species of blue crawfish in West Virginia, three of them weren’t officially named until within the last 10 years; the Meadow River Mudbug in 2015, the Blue Teays Mudbug in 2018, and Allegheny Mountain Mudbug in 2019.
Loughman has had a part in naming all of those most recent species, with the Blue Teays Mudbug sharing his last name in its scientific name, Cambarus loughmani. In total, he has named 15 crayfish species across the U.S., which is a process that normally takes a few years.
Naming different species is important because a species cannot receive any type of state or federal protections until it has a name. Naming new species allows for conservation efforts and prevents different species from being lumped together, causing inaccurate data.
Loughman said that the Blue Crayfish and Allegheny Mountain Mudbug have stable and generally unthreatened populations. But the Blue Teays Mudbug, which lives in a more developed area, and Meadow River Mudbug, which lives in an agricultural area, are not as stable, although more research is needed to know the extent of the threats.
Loughman and his lab are currently working on getting names established for several other crawfish species, including at least one in southern West Virginia that has a blueish-purple body and bright orange claws.
Although the blue color makes them unique, burrowing crawdads in general, play an important role in their ecosystems as well. Their burrows are up to 30 degrees cooler than outside temperatures, so in hot weather, animals like salamanders, snakes, rodents, turtles and even birds will go inside the burrows to get a break from the heat.
Because burrowing crawfish usually dig down to the groundwater, the burrows can also serve as a water source for other animals during drought conditions.
One of the next steps for Loughman and his lab is to compile all of their research about West Virginia crawfish into a book that can be used as a resource for naturalists and other people who are interested in learning about the state’s crayfish species.
If you see a blue crawdad in West Virginia, you can share photos with Loughman’s lab at West Liberty University, which serves as a crawdad conservation center for West Virginia and shares its data with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The best way to share those encounters is by messaging The Loughman Lab – WLU Crayfish Conservation Laboratory on Facebook or emailing Loughman directly at zloughman@westliberty.edu.
Thanks to WBOY for the information in this story.