Marine Biology Commons^™

Burrow Morphology And Behavior Of The Mud Shrimp Upogebia Omissa (Decapoda: Thalassinidea: Upogebiidae), Vania Rodrigues Coelho, Roland Arthur Cooper, Sergio De Almeida Rodrigues

Roland A. Cooper

The burrow morphology, burrowing behavior and feeding mechanisms of the thalassinidean shrimp Upogebia omissa were studied. Twenty burrow casts were made in situ with epoxy resin, and an overall 'Y' shape was most frequently observed. Several burrows consisted of a single, oblique tunnel; burrow diameter was positively correlated with burrow length, maximum depth and distance between openings. Additionally, burrow length was positively associated with maximum depth, indicating that as burrow length increased burrow depth increased; i.e. burrows spread vertically rather than horizontally. Total sediment displacement by the burrows accounted for 2.6 % of sediment to a depth of 30 cm. …