Death from below: Sit-and-wait predatory behavior in a burrowing crayfish (Lacunicambarus thomai)

Graham, Zackary A.; Diehl, Kaine; Davis, Destinee; Loughman, Zachary J.

doi:10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00225

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This ambush behavior was more likely to occur nocturnally than diurnally, with only three of 32 observations occurring during the day. Interestingly, this sit and wait predatory behavior seems to be prevalent throughout the genus Lacunicambarus, as it has been reported in at least 2 other Lacunicambarus species [36,37,42]. Recently, Thoma (2022) reports that in Ohio, Lacunicambarus chimera is never active at the surface of their borrow, whereas another species, Lacunicambarus nebrascensis rarely exhibits surface activity [55].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 70%

“…Indeed, we observed terrestrial predators (i.e., snakes and birds) interacting with L. thomai burrows during the day [37]. Alternatively, the rest behavior being more likely to occur during the night may relate to this posture's increased ability to quickly capture live prey that move near the burrow [36,37,42]. Future studies must investigate whether or not these postural differences are present throughout other burrowing crayfishes, or if they are specific to L. thomai.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 86%

“…But we can speculate that the guard behavior is more likely to be exhibited during the day due to the increased potential for predator interactions. Indeed, we observed terrestrial predators (i.e., snakes and birds) interacting with L. thomai burrows during the day [37]. Alternatively, the rest behavior being more likely to occur during the night may relate to this posture's increased ability to quickly capture live prey that move near the burrow [36,37,42].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Burrowing crayfish are considered to be nocturnal [35], which further complicates our ability to adequately study their behavior. But in some instances, burrowing crayfish are observed at the surface of their burrow during the daytime [12,[35][36][37]. Interestingly, recent studies reveal that burrowing crayfish may exhibit a higher level of surface activity than previously thought [36,38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Populations of L. thomai often live in localized colonies with conspecifics and inhabit burrows that are relatively simple but can nonetheless be up to 1-1.5 m deep [40,41]. Compared to most burrowing crayfish species, L. thomai and other members of the genus Lacunicambarus seem to exhibit a high degree of surface activity [36,37,[40][41][42][43][44], which makes them ideal for our investigations. Overall, we hope to shed light on the surface behavior of L. thomai by 1) determining the prevalence of surface activity and 2) creating an ethogram specific to burrowing crayfish, and 3) analyzing the behavioral repertoire and prevalence of behaviors exhibited by L. thomai.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the surface or down below: Field observations reveal a high degree of surface activity in a burrowing crayfish, the Little Brown Mudbug (Lacunicambarus thomai)

et al. 2022

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Opposed to most crayfish species that inhabit permanent bodies of water, a unique burrowing lifestyle has evolved several times throughout the crayfish phylogeny. Burrowing crayfish are considered to be semi-terrestrial, as they burrow to the groundwater—creating complex burrows that occasionally reach 3 m in depth. Because burrowing crayfishes spend most of their lives within their burrow, we lack a basic understanding of the behavior and natural history of these species. However, recent work suggests that burrowing crayfishes may exhibit a higher level of surface activity than previously thought. In the current study, we conducted a behavioral study of the Little Brown Mudbug, Lacunicambarus thomai using video surveillance to determine their degree of surface activity and behavioral patterns. Throughout 664 hrs of footage, we observed a surprisingly high amount of activity at the surface of their burrows—both during the day and night. The percentage of time that individual crayfish was observed at the surface ranged from 21% to 69% per individual, with an average of 42.48% of the time spent at the surface across all crayfish. Additionally, we created an ethogram based on six observed behaviors and found that each behavior had a strong circadian effect. For example, we only observed a single observation of foraging on vegetation during the day, whereas 270 observations of this behavior were documented at night. Overall, our results suggest that burrowing crayfishes may exhibit higher levels of surface activity than previously thought. To increase our understanding of burrowing crayfish behaviors ecology, we encourage the continued use of video-recorded observations in the field and the laboratory.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 70%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

On the surface or down below: Field observations reveal a high degree of surface activity in a burrowing crayfish, the Little Brown Mudbug (Lacunicambarus thomai)

et al. 2022

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Natural history and ecology of the slender crayfish ( Faxonius compressus ): an ecosystem engineer in the Western Highland Rim, USA

Graham,

Loughman

2023

Journal of Natural History

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Burrowing Constrains the Phenotypic Diversity of Fossorial Crayfish

Delekta,

Kolmann

2024

Integrative and Comparative Biology

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Synopsis Strong selective pressure on phenotype can arise when habitat transitions fundamentally alter the physical media in which animals live, such as the invasion of land by lobe-finned fishes and insects. When environmental gradients differ drastically among habitats and multiple lineages transition between these habitats, we expect phenotypic convergence to be prevalent. One transition where widespread convergence has been observed is the shift from aboveground to subterranean environments in fossorial animals. Subterranean environments are low-light, confined spaces and tend to be hypoxic or anoxic, not to mention that the act of burrowing itself demands morphological specializations for excavation. Research suggests burrowing promotes morphological convergence in crayfish, with non-burrowing forms having a dorsoventrally compressed carapace and long, slender claws (chelae), while primary burrowing forms have a dorsolaterally compressed carapace and shorter, more powerful claws. However, earlier ecomorphological comparisons relied on qualitative rather than quantitative assessments of phenotypic differences. This study tested for convergence in North American crayfishes using a geometric morphometric approach. We photographed the carapace and claw for representative species across 13 North American genera. We hypothesized that crayfishes that occur in similar habitats and exhibit similar burrowing behaviors, would converge in their carapace and claw shapes. We found evidence for convergence in carapace and claw morphologies in burrowing crayfishes. However, claw phenotypes did not converge as strongly as carapace shape, an example of “imperfect” or “incomplete” convergence we attribute to the multiple competing demands on claw form and function. We argue that nuances in habitat characteristics, like soil type or compaction, make complete convergence unlikely for range- and dispersal-limited fossorial crayfishes.

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Death from below: Sit-and-wait predatory behavior in a burrowing crayfish (Lacunicambarus thomai)

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

On the surface or down below: Field observations reveal a high degree of surface activity in a burrowing crayfish, the Little Brown Mudbug (Lacunicambarus thomai)

On the surface or down below: Field observations reveal a high degree of surface activity in a burrowing crayfish, the Little Brown Mudbug (Lacunicambarus thomai)

Natural history and ecology of the slender crayfish ( Faxonius compressus ): an ecosystem engineer in the Western Highland Rim, USA

Burrowing Constrains the Phenotypic Diversity of Fossorial Crayfish

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