Substratum preferences, burrowing and righting in Ebalia tuberosa (Pennant) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Leucosiidae)

When given a choice, Ebalia tuberosa prefers sediment to a smooth plastic surface. Gravel is preferred to either sand or mud but no preference is shown between coarse and fine gravel. When overturned, the crabs may take from 2 to 900 s to right again, but males right in a shorter time than females, probably because they are less massive. E. tuberosa burrows by digging backwards into the sediment till half‐covered. A variety of different mechanisms are then used to cover the remainder of the body. The crabs take from 130 to 1000 s to burrow completely and larger crabs of both sexes take longer to burrow than do smaller individuals.

Notes

Present address: Portobello Marine Laboratory, P.O. Box 8, Portobello, New Zealand.