11/02/2023
This colorful crayfish is called Cherax handsome or Cherax Pulcher . The specific name of these crayfish comes from the Latin word "pulcher", which means "beautiful". The name was chosen because of their bright coloration. The Cherax Pulcher is popular as a freshwater aquarium species in Asia, Europe and North America.
So far this species has only been found in Hoa Creek near the village of Teminabuan in West Papua, Indonesia. This is a clean stream, fast in places, with a sandy and rocky bottom.
The length of the males of this species is 75–98 millimeters, and the length of the females is 83–90 millimeters. The body is slightly oval in shape. In addition to the unusual coloration, this species has especially large eyes.
For the first time, Cherax handsome was seen selling crayfish for aquariums, where it was found that he was probably a new species. However, it proved difficult to trace, as dealers' claims of its whereabouts proved difficult to verify. It was eventually traced to the Chendrawasih Peninsula in New Guinea, where several specimens of these colorful crayfish were collected with the help of the Ornamental Fish Exporter Maju Aquarium in Jakarta.
These crayfish are now sold throughout Asia, Europe and North America in the ornamental fish market, where they are commonly sold under the names "Hoa Creek", "Blue Moon" or "Irian Jaya". It is also sometimes referred to as Thunderbolt Crayfish.
Due to the continued collection of Cherax Pulcher crayfish, both for export and for consumption, local collectors have noticed that the number of these crayfish has begun to decrease.