cray-fish

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

n.


The Australasian Cray-fishbelong to the family Parastacidae, the members of whichare confined to the southern hemisphere, whilst those of thefamily Potamobiidae are found in the northernhemisphere. The two families are distinguished from oneanother by, amongst other points of structure, the absence ofappendages on the first abdominal segment in the Parastacidae. The Australasian cray-fishes areclassified in the following genera – – Astacopsis, found inthe fresh waters of Tasmania and the whole of Australia; Engaeus, a land-burrowing form, found only in Tasmaniaand Victoria; Paranephrops, found in the fresh waters ofNew Zealand; and Palinurus, found on the coasts ofAustralia and New Zealand. The species are as follows : – – (1) The Yabber or Yabbie Crayfish. Name given to thecommonest fresh-water Australian Cray-fish, Astacopsisbicarinatus, Gray. This is found in waterholes, but notusually in running streams, over the greater part of thecontinent, and often makes burrows in the ground away fromwater, and may also do great damage by burrowing holes throughthe banks of dams and reservoirs and water-courses, as atMildura. It was first described as the Port EssingtonCrayfish.

1845. Gray, in E. J. Eyre's `Expeditions into CentralAustralia,' vol. i. p. 410:

«The Port Essington Cray fish. Astacus bicarinatus.»

1885. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'Dec. 2, pl. 29:

«They are commonly known about Melbourne by the native name of Yabber or Yabbie.»

2) The Murray Lobster or the Spiny Cray-fish. Namegiven to the largest Australian fresh-water Cray-fish, Astacopsis serratus, Shaw, which reaches a length ofover twelve inches, and is found in the rivers of the Murraysystem, and in the southern rivers of Victoria such as theYarra, the latter being distinguished as a variety of theformer and called locally the Yarra Spiny Cray-fish.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'Dec. 8, pl. 160: «

Our plate 160 illustrates a remarkable variety of the typical A. serratus of the Murray, common in the Yarra and itsnumerous affluents flowing southwards.»

3) The Tasmanian Cray – fish. Name given to the largefresh-water Cray-fish found in Tasmania, Astacopsisfranklinii; Gray.

4) The Land-crab. Name applied to the burrowingCray-fish of Tasmania and Victoria, Engaeus fossor,Erich., and other species. This is the smallest of theAustralian Cray-fish, and inhabits burrows on land, which itexcavates for itself and in which a small store of water isretained. When the burrow, as frequently happens, falls inthere is formed a Crab-hole (q.v.).

1892. G. M. Thomson, `Proceedings of the Royal Society ofTasmania,' p. 2:

«Only four of the previously described forms are fresh-waterspecies, namely: Astacopsis franklinii and A. tasmanicus, Engaeus fossor and E. cunicularius, all fresh-water cray fishes.»

5) New Zealand Fresh-water Cray-fish. Name applied to Paranephrops zealandicus, White, which is confined tothe fresh water of New Zealand.

1889. T. J. Parker, `Studies in Biology' (Colonial Museum andGeological Survey Department, New Zealand), p. 5:

«Paranephrops which is small and has to be specially collectedin rivers, creeks or lakes.»

6) Sydney Cray-fish. Name given to the largesalt-water Cray-fish, rarely called Craw-fish, or SpinyLobster, found along the Sydney coast, Palinurushuegeli, Heller.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'Dec. 16, pl. 159:

«This species, which is the common Sydney Craw-fish, is easilydistinguished from the southern one, the P. Lalandi,which is the common Melbourne Craw-fish.»

7) Southern Rock-Lobster or Melbourne Crayfish. Namegiven to the large salt-water Cray-fish, sometimes calledCraw-fish, found along the southern coast and common in theMelbourne market, Palinurus lalandi, Lam.

1890. F. McCoy, `Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria,'Dec. 15, pl. 150:

«I suggest the trivial name of Southern Rock Lobster for thisspecies, which abounds in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand,as well as the Cape of Good Hope . . . does not appear to havebeen noticed as far north as Sydney.»

The name Craw-fish is merely an ancient variant of Cray-fish, though it is said by Gasc, in his FrenchDictionary, that the term was invented by the Londonfishmongers to distinguish the small Spiny Lobster,which has no claws, from the common Lobster, which hasclaws. The term Lobster, in Australia, is often appliedto the Sydney Cray-fish (see 7, above).

Dictionary of Australasian Words Phrases and Usages by Edward E. Morris

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