The common name, yabby, is an ambiguous term since it is also used to describe other Australian Cherax species and Engaeus spp., and is also applied to some marine Decapoda The term yabby seems to derive from the word yabij in the aboriginal language, which was used by wandering tribes to describe the native crayfish from central Australia. The generic name Cherax is thought to be a misspelling of the Greek word 'charax', meaning a pointed stake