Texas Dwarf Crayfish Breeding Guide

Breeding the Texas (Brazos) Dwarf Crayfish, Cambarellus texanus, a small ~4 cm crayfish from the Texas Brazos drainage that carries eggs and young under the tail with direct development.

Overview

The Texas Dwarf Crayfish (Cambarellus texanus), also called the Brazos dwarf crayfish, is a small member of the dwarf-crayfish subfamily Cambarellinae, whose species typically reach only about 4 cm versus the >5 cm of most crayfish. Within the genus it falls in the West Gulf clade and is distributed in the south-west part of Texas; the wider genus ranges from the Suwannee River in northern Florida across the southern Mississippi watershed to the Nueces River in Texas.

Sexing

Sexes are distinguished by the abdominal appendages typical of Cambarellus: males bear modified front pleopods used to transfer sperm, while females have the sperm-receiving structure between the rear legs and a broader abdomen for carrying eggs.

Breeding Setup

A planted aquarium with fine substrate and many small hides suits this dwarf species, which in the wild lives in standing-water ditches with emergent vegetation and burrows when the habitat dries. Plenty of cover lets a berried female seclude herself and reduces aggression between adults.

Berried Female & Young

Reproduction is direct, with no larval stage: the female carries her eggs attached beneath the abdomen and then the hatchlings, which later detach and become free-living, as is typical for dwarf crayfish.

Juvenile Care

Juveniles are tiny and omnivorous, grazing on biofilm and detritus and accepting fine sinking foods. Dense planting and many hides limit cannibalism, and the brood should be thinned into more space as the young grow.