Cherax quadricarinatus, (von Martens, 1868)
Cherax quadricarinatués (known by several common names, including Australian red claw crayfish, Queensland red claw, red claw yabby, redclaw, tropical blue crayfish, freshwater blueclaw crayfish) is an Australian freshwater crayfish.
The colour of C. quadricarinatus ranges from dark brown to blue-green. Their heads have four keels (as implied by the epithet), and adult males have a distinct red patch on the outer margin of the claws. They can reach up to 30 cm (12 in) and 600 grams (21 oz).
C. quadricarinatus is native to permanent freshwater streams, billabongs and lakes on the north coast of the Northern Territory, northeastern Queensland, and Papua New Guinea. Through translocation by humans, the range has spread down to southern Queensland and into the far north of Western Australia, where it is outcompeting the local crayfish species . C. quadricarinatus is considered an invasive species, and has established feral populations in South Africa, Mexico, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Zambia, Malaysia and Singapore.
This tropical crustacean is very tolerant of environmental changes, and is primarily a detritivore.
Females, which are smaller than males, spawn 300–800 olive-green eggs per brood, which are fertilised from a spermatophore which the male has deposited at the base of her walking legs (pereiopods) during mating. Fertilised eggs are affixed to the female's pleopods, situated on the underside of the tail. Incubation takes approximately six weeks and the newly hatched juveniles rapidly become independent.
No dive sites list Australian Red Claw Crayfish yet. Explore the map to find sites near you.