PORT PHILLIP BAY


Waroona Mud Shrimp 

Strahlaxius waroona (Poore & Griffin, 1979)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Rostrum usually spinose, apically bifid. Eye usually pigmented. Article 1 of antenna 1 peduncle as long as article 2. Propodus of pereopods 3 and 4 broadened. Pereopod 4 coxa more or less flattened. Pleuron of abdominal somite 1 not produced. Abdominal somite 2 twice as long as 1. Pereopods 2-4 and abdominal somites with some setal-rows. Male pleopod 2 endopod foliaceous with small appendix masculina attached mesially. Exopods of pleopods 2-5 laterally lobed. Uropodal endopod triangular.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (2004) Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia. A guide to identification (with chapter on Stomatopoda by Shane Ahyong). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 574 pp.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Eucarida
Order:
Decapoda
Suborder:
Pleocyemata
Infraorder:
Thalassinidea
Family:
Strahlaxiidae
Genus:
Strahlaxius
Species:
waroona

Other Names

  • Slow Sponge Shrimp

General Description

Rostrum obsoletely spinose, spines of medial lobe not distinct from one at end of lateral lobe. Antenna 2 acicle simple. Pleopods 1 of male with 3 articles. Pleurobranchs 5-7 absent. Telson as wide or wider than long, dorsally smooth. Uropodal exopod subtriangular, widest distally, without transverse suture. Carapace up to Up to 1.5 cm long.

Biology

Very little is known of the biology of this family of animals and they are thought to be sediment feeders. The species may be unusual in having the juveniles hatch directly from the eggs without planktonic larval stages.

Habitat

Under rocks in intertidal zone to 2 m depth.

Reefs

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including southern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Ghost and mud shrimps

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

15 mm

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 1758

Conservation Status

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

Author

article author Taylor, J.

Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Poore, G.C.B.

Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Waroona Mud Shrimp, Strahlaxius waroona, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 13 Jan 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5531

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