Red swamp crayfish

Procambarus clarkii · Aquatic life

Whole animal · Photo: westcoasthikers / CC BY

InvasiveCrustacean (crayfish, scud)

Also called Louisiana crayfish, Procambarus, Crawfish

State listing

Oregon: Controlled

How to identify Red swamp crayfish

Dark red to reddish brown crayfish up to about 5 inches
Long, narrow claws covered in raised bright red bumps
Black wedge shaped stripe down the top of the tail in adults
Builds chimney shaped mud burrows on banks

Similar species

Signal crayfish have smooth claws with a white or pale blue patch at the joint. Juvenile red swamp crayfish can be gray or tan, so check the claw bumps.

Profile

Season	Active spring through fall; survives dry or cold spells in burrows.
Starts	Most active above about 60 F
Depth	Shallow edges and banks
How it spreads or reproduces	Walks overland between waters; moved by people as bait, food, classroom pets and aquarium animals
Habitat	Warm ponds, ditches, marshes, slow streams and irrigation canals with muddy banks.

Why it matters in a lake

Invasive crayfish that eats plants, snails, amphibian eggs and young fish and burrows into pond banks, dikes and canal walls, causing leaks. Established in parts of Oregon; in Idaho it was found in storm water ponds in Lewiston in 2021, with an older 1975 record from southern Idaho. Do not release live crayfish.