Biodiversity & Conservation

A sand digger shrimp - Bathyporeia pelagica

A sand digger shrimp

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Distribution map

Bathyporeia pelagica recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

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Bathyporeia pelagica is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods, joint-legged animals, e.g. insects, crustaceans & spiders
Class Malacostraca Crabs, lobsters, sand hoppers and sea slaters
Authority (Bate, 1856)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Found on sandy coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found in wet, clean, fine to medium sand, from slightly above the mean tide level into the shallow sublittoral; often abundant above mean tide level.
Text page icon Description A small crustacean that grows to approximately 6-8 mm in length. Its body is laterally compressed with two pairs of antennae and seven pairs of thoracic limbs. Antenna 1 is shorter than antenna 2, and holds an accessory flagellum. The basal segment of antenna 1 is very large, and rectangular in shape. The remaining segments of antenna 1 are smaller and arise at right angles to the basal segment, a feature known as geniculate, and characteristic of the genus. The body appears semi-transparent to white, with varying degrees of red pigment associated with the abdomen. The eyes are red in colour and easily visible.
Identifying features
  • The dorsal surface of the fourth segment of the abdomen with a pair of forwardly directed bristles and a pair of backwardly directed spines (J. Fish, pers. comm.).
  • The third of three lateral plates (epimeral plates) on either side of abdominal segments 1, 2 and 3 has a tiny posterior tooth together with 4 or 5 groups of spines above the ventral border (J. Fish, pers. comm.).
  • In the adult male the posterior tooth is reduced to an uneven border around the postero-ventral corner.
  • Distinguished from Bathyporeia guilliamsoniana by the large first segment of antenna 1, which has a straight, angular tip.
Additional information icon Additional information The Gammaridea are difficult to identify and reference should be made to Lincoln (1979) for guidance.

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This review can be cited as follows:

Georgina Budd & Lisa Curtis 2007. Bathyporeia pelagica. A sand digger shrimp. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 03/09/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2740>