Prey and Predator Behavioral Interactions with a Primary Burrowing Crayfish (Lacunicambarus thomai)

Abstract

Burrowing crayfish represent a small, specialized group of crayfish that inhabit self-made terrestrial burrows. Primary burrowing crayfish depend upon their burrows for protection, respiration, rearing of young, food storage, and thermoregulation. Burrowing crayfish tend to stay in proximity to or around their burrows causing them to be elusive lifestyle and consequently poorly documented. All crayfish are opportunistic generalists regarding food and have been recorded eating detritus, periphyton, and small invertebrates. Due to their stygobitic lifestyle, food resources are also limited to what is near their burrow, which commonly includes vegetation as well as smaller invertebrates. The predatory behaviors of burrowing crayfish has been studied and observed in abundance in epigean crayfish, however, it has been rare and few studies have been conducted on this behavior in burrowing species. This study utilized 24-h surveillance of a burrowing crayfish species, the Little Brown Mud Bug (Lacunicambarus thomai). A total of 633 H of videos were recorded of 6 different crayfish at varying times for each individual. Predatory behaviors were observed on several organisms including ants, worms, spiders, and dragonfly naiads. Gut analysis was performed on 23 L. thomai from 4 separate populations confirming the findings of the video footage that, in all populations, both animal and vegetation were being consumed. This study suggested that a sit-and-wait predation behavior may be a far more common foraging behavior in burrowing crayfish than previously observed.