Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Rusty Crayfish

Scientific Name

Orconectes rusticus (Girard, 1852) (ITIS)

Common Name

Rusty crayfish

Native To

Ohio River drainage (Wilson et al. 2004)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First discovered outside of its native range in Wisconsin in the 1960s (DiDonato and Lodge 1993)

Means of Introduction

Probably through bait bucket releases (DiDonato and Lodge 1993)

Impact

Competes with native crayfish species and causes a decline in native species abundance (DiDonato and Lodge 1993)

Current U.S. Distribution

Great Lakes Region, New England, and Eastern U.S.

Rusty crayfish
Image use policy

Rusty crayfish adult

Credit

Photo by U.S. Geological Survey

Source
Invasive.org.

Find more images

Spotlights

  • Public Asked to Watch for Rusty Crayfish in Laramie River Watershed

    • May 19, 2021

    • Wyoming Game & Fish Department.

    • Anglers, crayfish trappers, and other outdoor recreationists are asked to help the Wyoming Game and Fish Department protect our outstanding fisheries by reporting any rusty crayfish found in the Laramie River watershed. Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) are native to the Ohio River Basin, but have invaded many other states and Canadian provinces. They were first discovered in Wyoming in 2006 after being illegally introduced into private ponds and then escaping into Wagonhound Creek, a tributary of the North Platte River. Despite the Game and Fish Department’s early eradication efforts, the species has recently been found in the Laramie River as a result of another illegal introduction.

      Rusty crayfish are 3-5 inches long, with a grayish-green body and easily-identifiable reddish fingerprint-like spots on each side of the body just in front of the tail. If you find a rusty crayfish, or catch one in a trap, take a photo of it and either return it to the water or kill it. Then contact the Laramie Game and Fish Department at (307) 745-4046 or reportais@wyo.gov.

  • Invasive Crayfish Collaborative

    • Invasive Crayfish Collaborative.

    • The Invasive Crayfish Collaborative includes representatives of Great Lakes local, state and federal natural resource agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and private businesses. These experts and stakeholders are working towards the region’s collective ability to manage and control invasive crayfish.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

All Resources

View and Filter All Rusty Crayfish Resources

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

Council or Task Force
Partnership
Federal Government
International Government
State and Local Government

  • AIS Control Plan: Rusty Crayfish [PDF, 270 KB]

  • Don't Spread Crayfish

    • Missouri Department of Conservation.

    • Invasive crayfish (also called crawdads) displace crayfish species naturally found in bodies of water ("native" species). They introduce disease, hurt fishing, and harm aquatic ecosystems. Our best hope of controlling them is to prevent their introduction to new locations.

  • Invasive Aquatic Animals: Rusty Crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)

    • Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

  • Invasive Species - Crayfish

    • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

  • Top Invasive Concerns: Rusty Crayfish

    • Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

    • The Colorado Division of Wildlife is monitoring the state's waters for the introduction of an aggressive invasive species, the rusty crayfish. Rusty crayfish were found for the first time in Colorado during routine sampling operations in 2009 in the Yampa River drainage between Steamboat Springs and the town of Yampa. Because of their larger size and more aggressive nature, rusty crayfish can impact fish populations by consuming small fish and fish eggs, and negatively impact fish and spread unwanted aquatic plants by aggressively harvesting underwater plant beds. Learn more how to identify the rusty crayfish, how to stop the spread and how to report sightings.

Academic
Professional
Citations