Within‐burrow behaviour of juvenile European lobstershomarus gammarus(L.)

Abstract

The behaviour of juvenile European lobsters (Homarus gammarus (L.)) in artificial burrows was observed in the laboratory to determine features of within‐burrow behaviour likely to be important in their survival and well‐being during the early benthic phase of life. Burrow construction methods and within‐burrow behaviour of individually held, hatchery reared, juvenile lobsters (12 to 20 mm CL) in mid‐intermoult were observed in clear plastic aquaria half filled with cohesive mud taken from Newcastle Bay. Eleven separate behaviour categories were identified although it was found that most activities did not occur on their own or, necessarily, in one particular location. Behaviour categories included pleopod fanning, cleaning, food burying and retrieval, feeding, substrate probing and picking, sieving and moving substrate and resting. Factors affecting burrow occupancy and the durations of selected activities inside the burrow were burrow chamber size, number of entrances, water flow, moulting and hunger. Hu...