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See also: freshwater crustaceans closely allied to and resembling the lobsters, and, like them, belonging to the See also: order Macrura
.
They are divided into two families, the Astacidae and Parastacidae, inhabiting respectively the See also: northern and the See also: southern hemispheres
.
The crayfishes of See also: England and See also: Ireland (Astacus, or Potamobius, pallipes) are generally about 3 or 4 in. long, of a dull See also: green or brownish colour above and paler See also: brown or yellowish below
.
They
See also: Crayfish (Cambarus sp.) from the See also: Mississippi See also: River
.
(After Morse.)
are abundant in some See also: rivers, especially where the rocks are of a calcareous nature, sheltering under stones or in burrows which they dig for themselves in the See also: banks and coming out at See also: night in See also: search of See also: food
.
They are omnivorous feeders, killing and eating See also: insects, snails, frogs and other animals, and devouring any carrion that comes in their way
.
It is stated that they sometimes come on See also: land in search of See also: vegetable food
.
On the continent of See also: Europe, Astacus pallipes occurs chiefly in the west and See also: south, being found in See also: France, See also: Spain, See also: Italy and the
388
See also: Balkan Peninsula
.
It is known in France as ecrevisse d pattes blanches and in See also: Germany as Steinkrebs, and is little used as food
.
The larger Astacus fluviatilis (ecrevisse d pattes rouges, Edelkrebs) is not found in Britain, but occurs in France and Germany, southern Sweden, See also: Russia, &c
.
It is distinguished, among other characters, by the red colour of the under See also: side of the large claws
.
It is the See also: species most highly esteemed for the table
.
Other species of the genus are found in central and eastern Europe and as far See also: east as See also: Turkestan
.
Farther east a See also: gap occurs in the distribution and no crayfishes are met with till the See also: basin of the Amur is reached, where a See also: group of species occurs, extending into northern See also: Japan
.
In See also: North See also: America, west of the Rocky Mountains, the genus Astacus again appears, but east of the See also: watershed it is replaced by the genus Cambarus, which is represented by very numerous species, ranging from the See also: Great Lakes to Mexico
.
Several See also: blind species inhabit the subterranean See also: waters of caves
.
The best known is Cambarus pellucidus, found in the See also: Mammoth Cave of See also: Kentucky
.
The See also: area of distribution occupied by the southern crayfishes or Parastacidae is separated by a broad See also: equatorial zone from that of the northern group, unless, as has been asserted, the two come into contact or overlap in Central America
.
None is found in any See also: part of See also: Africa, though a species occurs in See also: Madagascar
.
They are absent also from the See also: oriental region of zoologists, but reappear in See also: Australia and New Zealand
.
Some of the Australian species, such as the "See also: Murray River lobster" (Astacopsis spinifer), are of large
See also: size and are used for food
.
In South America crayfishes are found in southern See also: Brazil, See also: Argentina and Chile
.
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