What is "zarigani"

Zarigani (Cambaroides japonicus) is a species of crayfish endemic to Japan.

It is small in size (6 cm) and grayish in color. Its front claws are much weaker than those of other crayfish. Zarigani need low temperature and high water purity, so they live in upper streams of rivers or lakes in highland regions. The distribution of zarigani comprises Hokkaidō and northern Tōhoku (the northern area of Honshū).

The Environmental Agency (now Ministry of Environment) of Japan added it as a vulnerable species ( IUCN category) to the Red Data List in 2000. It is thought that the causes of its decrease are corruption of water quality and the spread of the American crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus, which was imported in the 20th century and has steadily proliferated in northern Japan. Some suspect that this American crayfish carries some disease, such as the crayfish plague known in Europe, that eliminates zarigani.