Cambarus diogenes
C. Diogenes, the devil crayfish, is one of the most widespread species of crayfish in the United States and in Wisconsin, as it’s found in every major watershed of the state.  It was first observed in Wisconsin in 1882.  This type of crayfish often lives in burrows of still waters such as ponds, ditches and even wet fields, but is also known to be found burrowing in stream bottoms and banks.   Burrows are usually three or four feet deep and generally are branched, with two or three openings at the surface.  These openings are covered by mud “chimneys”, which are thought to be used as protection by a crayfish that might need to expose its gills to the air to obtain oxygen if the dissolved oxygen in the water in the tunnel is low. 

Orconectes immunis
O. immunis, the calico crayfish,is found in soft bottom areas of still to slowly moving water.  They may also inhabit areas where water dries up in summer, at which point they may move to other areas that still have water or create burrows (where they also spend the winter).  They can live in low oxygen conditions (<3.1 mg/L) for extended periods of time and use less oxygen when less is available to them possibly by storing oxygen in their tissues as reserves.  They are most active at night.  The first reported instance of O. immunis in Wisconsin was in 1910.  If they reach sexual maturity their first year, they usually die after molting the following spring, but if they do not, they usually live for two years.

Orconectes propinquus
O. propinquus, the northern clearwater crayfish,was first reported in Wisconsin in 1870.  They usually live in rocky or very weedy areas of flowing waters of streams and also in rocky areas along lakeshores.  They tend to require more oxygen than other crayfish, such as O. virilis.  They are most active when water temperatures are above 50 degrees F.  They have been found to be active during both the day and the night, possibly moving about the most when predators in the area (such as smallmouth bass) are least likely to have an effect on them.  They are scavengers, eating everything from midge and mayfly larva to other crayfish.  As of 1988, they were found primarily in southern and eastern parts of the state, with fewer sightings in the west-central part of the state.

Orconectes rusticus
Native to the Ohio River Valley, O. rusticus, the rusty crayfish,was first reported in Wisconsin in 1975.  This invasive species is thought to have been introduced primarily by anglers using the species as bait and by students releasing them following class projects.  They are often able to be identified by the rusty spots on either side of their carapace, though sometimes those spots are not present.  They live in both slow flowing and fast moving waters, and in both soft and rocky substrates.  They are more aggressive than other types of crayfish in Wisconsin, thus out-compete those types for space, food, and may even be predated less often since they are more aggressive towards predators such as fish.  In lakes, they have been shown to decimate plant stands due to their voracious feeding habits.

Orconectes virilis
O. virili, the virile crayfish, was first reported in the state in 1870.  They are the most widespread species of crayfish in the state, found in every county, and living in everything from deep pools and ponds with soft substrate to rocky areas of flowing streams and rivers.  They have been shown to be able to survive in a wide range of water quality conditions- from dissolved oxygen of less than 2 mg/L to 12 mg/L, to coliform bacteria counts of hundreds of thousands, to pH ranging between 5 and 9.5.  Like C. Diogenes, they will expose their gills to atmospheric oxygen to supplement dissolved oxygen supplies if needed.  They are most active at night and will roam the bottom freely to eat.  They are native to Wisconsin, but have been shown to be limited in numbers when O. propinquus or O. rusticus are present.

Procambarus gracilis
P. gracilis, the prairie crayfish, is found in burrows along slow streams, ponds, ditches, and wet areas of field or prairies.  Their burrows are about 3 feet deep and a half inch wide and branch like those of C. diogenes, offering escape routes from predators.  Their burrows might have chimneys but also may not have them.  They are most active at night.  They live most of their life in burrows but females move to open water to release their young.  They are primarily found in Southeastern WI (as of 1988).

Procambarus acutus
P. acutus, White River crawfish, is found in a variety of habitats, from burrows to slow flowing ponds or temporary pools to rivers, lakes and streams.  Waters where they have been collected tend to be turbid.  They over winter in burrows, which are usually covered with mud at the top and are a few feet deep.   They have the ability to live in a wide range of water quality conditions, from 1 to 12 mg/L of dissolved oxygen, and pH between 6.3 and 8.2.  They don’t have a particular breeding season as females with eggs have been found between March and December and females with young have been found from May through October.