Burrow Morphology and Burrowing Behaviour of Trypaea australiensis.

This study examined the burrow morphology and burrowing behavior of the mud shrimp Trypaea australiensis to understand the role of burrows for these organisms. We quantified burrow size and shape using resin casts and 3D imagery at two field sites, Shoalhaven Heads and Port Hacking. We found burrow casts at Shoalhaven Heads were larger and more variable in length compared to those at Port Hacking. For shrimp burrow behaviour, laboratory experiments showed that the shrimp tend to spend considerable time maintaining their burrows, regardless of time of day or shrimp sex. Though it was found that shrimp size impacted their behaviour, with smaller shrimp spending more time sitting and less time ventilating their burrows than larger shrimp.