This olive-green to reddish-tan crayfish usually has prominent black or brown rings around the fingers of its pincers near their tips. In our state, it is found in clear, rocky Ozark streams in the southwestern quarter.
This crayfish of the Big and Meramec river drainages has a bold blackish band (saddle mark) across the hind margin of the carapace. It lacks dark blotches or specks. The pincers are broad and powerful.
A white crayfish with a special habitat: It lives in caves in the Ozarks. Its localized distribution makes its populations vulnerable to catastrophes that might pollute or damage their cave environment.
This medium-small crayfish of southeastern Missouri is light reddish brown to gray, and thickly dusted with darker specks. Its rostrum ("nose") is unusually long, with the tip longer than the base, and the pincers are narrow and weak.
The snuffbox has been classified as Endangered in Missouri and is a candidate for federal Endangered status. Perhaps it should also be a candidate for a new common name, since the popularity of snuff-taking is long past.
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