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Ancestor: Unknown

Size: Up to 12 cm long.
Weight: Over 50 g.

Dietary Needs: Diet consists of humified detritus, sediment and other decaying organic matter and (by proxy) the microorganisms within. It is also known to consume animal protein opportunistically which consists mostly of smaller invertebrates.

Life Cycle: In warmer climates they spawn year-round because the crayfish are most metabolically active in the warmer temperatures, but in climates with a cold winter they may postpone reproduction and metabolically intensive activities such as moulting.

During mating the females receive a spermatophore from a male which they will later use to fertilise their eggs. They have a selective preference for larger males. Males in their reproductive form have enlarged chelipeds to compete with each other in physical contests.

The female's eggs are attached to the underside of their abdomen and the pleopods. During dry seasons females will keep these eggs incubated in a deep, wet and humid burrow. Like most freshwater crayfish there is no larval stage. When young hatch they look like miniatures of the adults. Mothers care for their brood for a time, with offspring gaining increasing independence and foraging for themselves. They take around four months to mature.

Other: They do not burrow all year round, usually during wet seasons when there is more fine substrate washed into the area. When they do burrow the combined tunnelling of many crayfish in an area can be extensive. Burrows sometimes have mounded plugs or short chimneys which help with keeping the burrow cool but also ventilated. They can use established burrows to survive long dry seasons inside sealed or lightly ventilated, hibernating in the humid microenvironment. They may sometimes burrow to the water table which may be the only accessible water during these dry stretches of time.

They do well in environments that rice also thrives. Where species of rice have held on or are recovering these crayfish can always be found.