Corophium volutator
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| Corophium volutator Pallas, 1766 |
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Corophium grossipes Templeton, 1836 |
Corophium volutator, one of several organisms called mud shrimp, is a small (6–10 mm) amphipod of the family Corophiidae.
It inhabits the upper layers of sand on the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, as well as in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada.
Like most amphipods, C. volutator feeds on plankton. On high tide, it produces a current with its slightly elongated hind legs, to make the water flow through its tube. On low tide, it scratches along the surface with its elongated second pair of antennae, producing star-like patterns.
The silk-lined U-shaped tubes reach about 3 cm deep in summer, and up to 12 cm in winter, to escape the freezing point. The tubes have a diameter of about 2 mm. When travelling, C. volutator produces patterns similar to a zipper.
The species lives up to a year, and produces up to three generations during its lifetime. The females breed the eggs inside their pouch. They are resistant to significant fluctuations in salinity.
They can occur in huge quantities: up to 40,000 per m² have been observed. This makes them an important part of the food chain.
The specific epithet volutator comes from the Latin volutare, meaning "to wallow".
[edit] External links
- J.A. Percy (1999). Master of the Mudflats. Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership.
- M. J. de Kluijver & S. S. Ingalsuo (1999). Macrobenthos of the North Sea.
