Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 66

Euastacus vanderwerfi sp. nov., a new dwarf spiny freshwater crayfish (Crustacea: Decapoda: Parastacidae) from the Gondwana Rainforests, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia

McCormack, R.B.

Published: 10 June 2025

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Citation

McCormack, R.B. (2025). Euastacus vanderwerfi sp. nov., a new dwarf spiny freshwater crayfish (Crustacea: Decapoda: Parastacidae) from the Gondwana Rainforests, Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature 66: 27–44. https://doi.org/10.17082/vsnc7686

Accepted

2 April 2025

Published

10 June 2025

Peer reviewed

Yes

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17082/vsnc7686

Keywords

climate change, critically endangered species, conservation, symbionts, taxonomy, World Heritage Area.

Abstract

A new species of freshwater crayfish, Euastacus vanderwerfi sp. nov., is described from highland rainforest sites within the north branch of Running Creek and the south branch of Christmas Creek (Logan Basin), Lamington National Park, Queensland, Australia. Morphological features distinguishing it from its closest relatives, Euastacus dalagarbe (Coughran, 2005), Euastacus mirangudjin (Coughran, 2002) and Euastacus binzayedi (Coughran & Furse, 2013) are identified. Observations on burrowing behaviour, ecological preferences and biology are provided, along with a conservation assessment of the species as Critically Endangered B1ab(iii,v)+2ab(iii,v).