Aspects of the biology of the burrowing shrimp Alpheus glaber (Olivi) (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae) from the Central Adriatic

The burrowing behaviour and burrows of the snapping shrimp Alpheus glaber are described from laboratory observations of animals collected by trawl at 72 m depth off Ancona, Central Adriatic. Resin casts of burrows were taken in laboratory aquaria. At depths of 35-78 m off Ancona, burrows consistent with those seen in aquaria were observed using underwater television. A single specimen of A. glaber was seen retreating into a burrow. A morphometric analysis demonstrated differences in relative growth between the sexes that may be related to reproductive biology of A. glaber. Analysis of stomach contents of several demersal fish and large decapod Crustacea provided evidence of the role of A. glaber in the food-web of the muddy trawling grounds exploited by the local fishing fleet.