Abstract

BURROW MORPHOLOGY AND ARCHITECTURAL TYPES OF FRESHWATER CRAB BARYTELPHUSA CUNICULARIS (WESTWOOD, 1836)

*Shipra Sinha and Gajendra Yadav

ABSTRACT

Morphological characteristic and distribution ecology of burrows of the crab Barytelphusa cunicularis, found at Maroda Sector, Bhilai, C.G. India, were studied. Three different forms of burrows were witnessed in the study area. The openings of the single-, double- or tripledmouthed (rare) burrows were ellipsoidal on the surface. Architecture of the burrows was investigated by in-situ casting using a mixture of plaster of paris and cement. Burrows were simple tunnels, descending downwards either straight or slightly slanted, with or without branches. The burrows exhibited L, S or Y like shapes. Observations during the casting andthe study of the casts suggest that only one crab was normally resident in a burrow. The cross-sectional dimension of burrow varied throughout the depth of the burrow in no particular order. The depth of the burrow varied as per the size of opening of the burrow. Statistically significant linear relationship between the area of the burrow openings with respect to the carapace length and carapace width of the crabs was observed.

Keywords: Decapods, Crab burrows, burrow architecture, burrow morphology, burrowing activity, behaviour.