Cherax quinquecarinatus
| Cherax quinquecarinatus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Superfamily: | Parastacoidea |
| Family: | Parastacidae |
| Genus: | Cherax |
| Species: | C. quinquecarinatus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Cherax quinquecarinatus J. E. Gray, 1845 |
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Cherax quinquecarinatus is a small freshwater crayfish endemic to the south-west corner of Australia. It is one of two species known as gilgie, or jilgi, which is a seasonal food source for people of the region. Gilgies are found throughout a biogeographically isolated region of the coastal south of Western Australia and are significant in the ecology of aquatic systems of that bioregion.
Reaching a maximum of 130 mm, C. quinquecarinatus is one of the smallest in the genus Cherax. They vary in colour from light to black-brown. Their heads have five keels, two pairs of spines at rostrum, and none on their telsons. Their chelipeds are rounded and narrow and are often speckled. While restricted to southwestern Western Australia, it has the widest distribution in the biogeographic region. It is found in all habitats containing freshwater crayfish, congenors such as Cherax tenuimanus (marron), or the genus Engaewa.
The species has been traditionally hunted by tribes in the region. This involved an elaborate seasonal rituals relating to taboos of eating. This was claimed to have been linked to an early form of environmentalism and sustainability. Family groups (moieties) would establish temporary claim to territory and lay fishtraps and use scoops to gather marron and jilgi. Some tribes travelled great distances to join the hunt and each indigenous group carried unique and particular oral traditions regarding this practice. Indigenous artwork has been shown to actually convey important information about different species and selective harvesting. The Noongar people are also known to have caught and eaten the animal.
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Wikipedia