27. Crayfish are not at all common in the lower part of the Kansas
river, at least near Lawrence, where I have had opportunity to observe
it. The fishermen, as a rule, say there are none in the river. I have,
however, seen the casts of _C. virilis_, and think it hardly probable
that they could have washed in from any of the small tributaries.
No. 18 was collected in a small stream.
=8. Cambaras rusticus= Girard.
Reported only from Osage river.
=9. Cambaras pilosus= Hay.
This somewhat questionable species has been reported from two
localities comparatively close together in the north-central portion of
the state.
Mr. Sutton informs me that his material (2) was collected in Kelos
Fork, a “wet weather” stream of fresh water which flows into Salt
creek, which empties into the Saline river about four or five miles
from where the specimens were taken. At the time the material was taken
there was no water flowing from the pools into the creek. During the
summer of 1901, Mr. Sutton took material from a well about five feet in
depth, near the above region. The water from the pools would overflow
into the well when the water was high.
=10. Cambaras neglectus= Faxon.
4. Wildcat creek, about two miles west of Manhattan, Riley county.
Collected with the specimens of _C. virilis_ mentioned above. Presented
by J. N. Westgate.
_C. neglectus_, so far as reported, is quite closely confined to the
Republican river valley. The Republican river drains Cheyenne (2) and
Decatur (3) counties. Mill creek (1), in Wabaunsee county, empties
into the Kansas river about fifty miles east of the Republican. Cat
creek (4) empties into the Kansas river about twelve miles from the
Republican. Tributaries of the Republican approach to within six miles
of the upper part of Cat creek, but I know nothing of the nature of the
country separating these streams.
With the exception of the Republican river, in Cheyenne county (2), _C.
virilis_ has also been taken from all the above localities.
The Republican river, in Cheyenne county, wherever I have seen it, is a
shallow stream, perhaps 50 to 100 feet wide, with a bed of loose sand.
It sometimes, though rarely, goes dry in places so far as the surface
is concerned, but it is said that water can always be found by digging
a few inches into the sand of the bed.
During the early part of June, 1901, while near Springfield, Greene
county, Missouri, I had the opportunity of making a few observations
on the habits of _C. neglectus_. In the James river, near Galloway,
about eight miles southeast of Springfield, this was the only species
observed, although probably not the only one occurring in the river.
At this place the James river is a rather swift-flowing stream, with a
rocky bed and with rather high wooded hills along the sides. The stream
is quite shallow in the swiftly running places. The crayfish were quite
abundant, being found under the loose stones and resting in the strands
of the rich vegetation, which stood almost horizontal in the swiftly
flowing water.
The specimens were very plentiful around Boiling Springs, a place where
one of the cold, underground rivulets of the region breaks through the
rocks in the bottom of the stream.
In a clear, rocky stream,[B] shallow in most places, flowing between
high hills, about four miles northwest of Springfield, crayfish were
found in abundance. The smaller and by far the more numerous species
was _C. neglectus_. The animals were very active, darting from stone
to stone when disturbed, but usually remaining under cover but a short
time.
In a stream flowing from Galloway Cave, at Galloway, Greene county,
_C. neglectus_ and _C. rusticus_ were taken. At the mouth of the cave,
_C. neglectus_ was by far the more abundant, if not the only species,
being found in great abundance under loose stones at the very mouth.
The water here has practically the same temperature as that on the
inside. The temperature on the inside of the cave is said to remain
at fifty-seven degrees F. winter and summer. The animals were very
inactive, the cold water, apparently, numbing them to such an extent
that it was not at all difficult to take them with the hand.[C] A
little distance down the stream, where the water was much warmer, the
animals were noticed to be as active as ever.
A striking effect of the low temperature was noticed in the effect on
the hatching of the eggs. Many of the females taken at the mouth of the
cave carried eggs or recently hatched young, while none of those taken
in the other localities were found with young at all. I believe I found
young crayfish which had but recently left the female in the vegetation
near Boiling Springs, in the James river.
In the table following, the distribution by river systems of the
different species is given. For convenience, the rivers of the state
from which material has been reported have been arranged as follows:
MISSOURI RIVER
KANSAS RIVER
BIG BLUE RIVER
REPUBLICAN RIVER
SOLOMON RIVER
SALINE RIVER
SMOKY HILL RIVER
OSAGE RIVER
ARKANSAS RIVER
MEDICINE LODGE RIVER
CHIKASKIA RIVER
LITTLE ARKANSAS RIVER
The tributaries of any stream are arranged in order, beginning with
the lower and passing towards the upper portion of the stream. Those
tributaries emptying outside the state are designated by an asterisk.
When it is impossible to determine from which of two or more streams a
lot of material is reported, as is often the case when the localities
given is a country traversed or drained by two rivers, or a town
situated on some large stream, or where two streams join, it is
reported from each, with the catalogue number followed by a question
mark. Of course, in the greater number of these cases, the species will
be found to occur in greater or less numbers in each locality. The one
thing to be desired is, that collectors would furnish full data with
their material.
Whenever possible, the name of the stream from which material was
taken is given. When this is not possible, the term “tributary” is
used. As a general rule, the tributaries are streams emptying directly
into the river under which they are placed, and the only exceptions to
this, I believe, are the tributaries of the Arkansas arising in the
southeastern corner of the state. Stagnant ponds in the region drained
by a stream have been classed as tributaries, even through they have no
direct connection.
The above method of classifying the water systems of the state will,
very possibly, be found not the best for a final arrangement, but for
a preliminary classification—and nothing more than a preliminary
arrangement can be hoped for at present—it seems quite satisfactory.
MISSOURI RIVER, _C. virilis_, (5?).
Tributaries, _C. virilis_, (5?), (22), (20?); _C. diogenes_, (1);
_C. immunis_, (1).
KANSAS RIVER, _C. virilis_, (3?), (6?), (11?).
Tributaries, _C. virilis_, (1), (3?), (6?), (11), (18), (20); _C.
gracilis_, (2); _C. diogenes_, (2); C. immunis, (2); _C. immunis_,
var. _spinorostris_, (2).
WAKARUSA RIVER, _C. virilis_, (23).
Rock creek, _C. virilis_, (14).
Washington creek, _C. virilis_, (15).
Coon creek, _C. virilis_, (16).
Wildhorse creek, _C. virilis_, (17).
Ward’s creek, _C. virilis_, (2); _C. immunis_,
var. _spinorostris_, (1).
Mill creek, _C. neglectus_, (1).
Wildcat creek, _C. virilis_, (26); _C. neglectus_, (4).
REPUBLICAN RIVER, _C. virilis_, (7); _C. neglectus_, (2).
Sappa creek, _C. virilis_, (9); _C. neglectus_, (3).
SOLOMON RIVER, _C. pilosus_, (1?).
Tributaries, _C. pilosus_, (1?)
SMOKY HILL RIVER.
Big creek, or tributary to it, _C. simulans_, (2); _C. immunis_,
(2); _C. virilis_, (8).
SALINE RIVER.
Bullfoot creek, _C. virilis_, (24).
Spillman creek, _C. virilis_, (25).
A tributary of Salt creek, _C. pilosus_, (2).
OSAGE RIVER, _C. virilis_, (10); _C. rusticus_, (1).
ARKANSAS RIVER, _C. virilis_, (4?).
*Tributaries, _C. nais_, (1); _C. gracilis_, (1).
Tributaries, _C. virilis_, (4?); _C. gallinas_, (3).
*Coal creek, _C. nais_, (2).
*Labette creek, _C. virilis_, (21).
CHIKASKIA RIVER.
Tributary, _C. virilis_, (9); _C. gallinas_, (2), (4).
LITTLE ARKANSAS RIVER.
Tributary, _C. gallinas_, (1).
MEDICINE LODGE RIVER.
Tributary, _C. simulans_, (1).
LABORATORY OF ZOOLOGY AND HISTOLOGY,
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS.
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