General Description

Rostrum triangular, laterally armed with five pairs of teeth, undifferentiated supraocular spine, unarmed submedian gastric carina anteriorly flexed towards the midline; uropodal exopod with a transverse suture, pleurobranchs present above pereopods 2-4 and sometimes 5, male pleopod 1 present, two-articled, with the second article triangular and bearing a thumb-like appendix interna. Body up to 3 cm length.

Biology

Mud shrimps build permanent burrows in firm sediment. Some large species, and there are many in the tropics, burrow up to three metres deep. It is presumed that this species lives in burrows but it has been collected only with samples from muddy sediments. Like many mud burrowers, the shrimp is white or pale cream.

Habitat

Intertidal, 2-25 m depth.

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Ghost and mud shrimps

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

3 cm

Diet

Organic matter

Harmful

Not harmful but a nip from large claws could be painful

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1004

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Not listed
• EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
• IUCN Red List : Not listed