External Anatomy

Appendage Function Location Draw Appendage

Here

Antennules Senses touch & in front of the .

taste; helps mouth
crayfish maintain
balance

Antenna Senses touch and in front of the .

taste mouth

Mandible or jaw Crushes food mouth .

First Maxilla Moves food to the behind the .

mouth mandibles

second maxilla moves water in behind the .

the gill chamber mandibles

First maxilliped Holds food; at ventral and .

Senses touch and forward part of
taste the thorax region

Second Holds food; at ventral and .

maxilliped Senses touch and forward part of
taste the thorax region
Third maxilliped Holds food; at ventral and .
Senses touch and forward part of
taste the thorax region

Cheliped Grasps food at ventral part of .

thorax-posterior
to the
maxillipeds

walking leg Locomotion at ventral part of .

thorax-posterior
(walking) to the
maxillipeds

Swimmeret 1st swimmeret in abdominal region .

males transfers on the ventral
sperm to female; side
females use the
2nd-5th
swimmerets to
hold eggs &
young;
locomotion

uropod swimming posterior or tail .

end

telson swimming posterior or tail .

end
Internal Anatomy
Green Gland: This organ acts like the human kidney. It filters the blood of the crayfish to
take out wastes. The waste is then excreted (lost) through pores in the body of the
crayfish.

Ventral Nerve Cord: This long nerve is like the human spinal cord. It sends signals to all
parts of the crayfish (muscles and appendages) from the brain.

Gastric Mill: Inside the stomach, teeth made of chitin grind food into smaller pieces

Chitin: A hard structural material that makes up exoskeletons of insects and the cell
walls of fungi. This also makes up the teeth in the stomach of a crayfish.

Be able to label the internal and external parts of a crayfish for your quiz!