In Cajun cuisine, what crustaceans are often referred to as "mudbugs"?

Crawfish is known to have more than one name. There are so many names: crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs, ditch bugs, freshwater lobsters, mountain lobsters, and yabbies.

Historically, “crayfish” and “crawfish” come from an old French word “escrevisse”, which was modified over time.

According to a study by North Carolina State Ph.D. student Joshua Katz, “crayfish” is more used in the northern U.S. states, while “crawfish” is mostly used in the south, more so in the central Gulf Coast. “Crawdad” is used more in the midwestern states and is not common in Louisiana.

“One of the areas in which regional variation seems to be especially alive and well is in names for fish and other aquatic creatures,” said Sam Irwin, author of "Louisiana Crawfish, A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean" on southernkitchen.com, “So, this variety of names is not at all surprising.”

The earliest use of the name “mudbug” was in 1955, mostly in Louisiana and eastern Texas. However, farmers discouraged the term because it became misleading. The city of Shreveport, however, is the only city to date to commonly use the name “mudbug."