Parastacidae
Cherax destructor
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Suborder: Pleocyemata Infraorder: Astacidea Superfamily: Parastacoidea Family: Parastacidae Huxley, 1879
Genera
Astacoides Astacopsis Cherax Engaeus Engaewa Euastacus Geocherax Gramastacus Paranephrops Parastacoides Parastacus Samastacus Tenuibranchiurus Virilastacus

Parastacidae is the family of freshwater crayfish found in the southern hemisphere. The common yabby, Cherax destructor, is an Australian freshwater Crustacean in the Parastacidae family. Arthropods are Animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda (from Greek ἄρθρον arthron, " Joint " Structure of crustaceans As Arthropods crustaceans have a stiff Exoskeleton, which must be shed to allow the animal to grow ( Ecdysis or molting The Malacostraca (Greek "soft shell" are the largest class of Crustaceans and include most of the animals that non-experts recognize as crustaceans including The decapods or Decapoda ( literally means "ten footed") are an order of Crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many Pleocyemata is a sub-order of decapod crustaceans, erected by Martin Burkenroad in 1963  Astacidea is a group of decapod Crustaceans including Lobsters Crayfish and their close relatives Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895 was an English Biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Astacoides is a genus of Crayfish in the family Parastacidae, endemic to Madagascar. Cherax is the largest and most widespread Genus of fully and partially aquatic Crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere. Engaeus is a genus of freshwater Crayfish found in Australia. Engaewa is a Genus of burrowing Crayfish endemic to Southwest Australia, and belonging to the family Parastacidae. Euastacus is a Genus of freshwater Crayfish known as "spiny crayfish" Paranephrops is a genus comprising two freshwater Crayfish species endemic to New Zealand, the Northern koura, The swamp crayfish, Tenuibranchiurus glypticus, is a tiny freshwater Crayfish that occurs in Freshwater waterways in Queensland, and is In Biological classification, family ( Latin Freshwater is a word that refers to bodies of water such as Ponds lakes rivers and streams containing low concentrations of dissolved Salts and other Total dissolved Crayfish, crawfish, crawdads, or crodgers are freshwater Crustaceans resembling small Lobsters to which they are closely Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' The family is a classic Gondwana-distributed taxon, with extant members in South America, Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea, and extinct taxa also in Antarctica. Gondwana (ɡɒnˈdwɑːnə originally Gondwanaland) was a southern Supercontinent that existed about 500 to 200 Ma ago Extant is a term commonly used to refer to Taxa (such as Species, genera or families) that are still in existence (living South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to

Three genera are to be found in Chile, Virilastacus, Samastacus and Parastacus, the last of which also occurs disjunctly in southern Brazil. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld

There are no crayfish native to continental Africa, but six species on Madagascar, all of the genus Astacoides. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern Astacoides is a genus of Crayfish in the family Parastacidae, endemic to Madagascar.

The natural range of the family Parastacidae ^[1]

Australasia is particularly rich in crayfish. Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific The small genus Paranephrops is endemic to New Zealand (Huxley claims that Paranephrops also occurs in Fiji ^[2]). Paranephrops is a genus comprising two freshwater Crayfish species endemic to New Zealand, the Northern koura, Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895 was an English Biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Two genera, Astacopsis and Parastacoides are endemic to Tasmania, while a further two are found on either side of the Bass Strait - Geocharax and Engaeus. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Bass Strait (bæs is a sea Strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland ( Victoria in particular Engaeus is a genus of freshwater Crayfish found in Australia. The greatest diversity, however, is found on the Australian mainland. Mainland is usually the Continental part of a region as opposed to the Islands nearby Three genera are endemic and have restricted distributions (Engaewa, Gramastacus and Tenuibranchiurus), while two are more widespread and contain nearly ninety species between them: Euastacus, around the Australian coast from Melbourne to Brisbane, and Cherax across Australia and New Guinea. Engaewa is a Genus of burrowing Crayfish endemic to Southwest Australia, and belonging to the family Parastacidae. The swamp crayfish, Tenuibranchiurus glypticus, is a tiny freshwater Crayfish that occurs in Freshwater waterways in Queensland, and is Euastacus is a Genus of freshwater Crayfish known as "spiny crayfish" Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Cherax is the largest and most widespread Genus of fully and partially aquatic Crayfish in the Southern Hemisphere.

References

1. ^ Fetzner, J W, Jr (2005). The crayfish and lobster taxonomy browser: A global taxonomic resource for freshwater crayfish and their closest relatives. Retrieved on 27 March 2006. Events 196 BC - Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt. 1309 - Pope Clement V excommunicates Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
2. ^ T. H. Huxley (1879). Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895 was an English Biologist, known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy The Crayfish.