| Upogebia stellata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Family: | Upogebiidae |
| Genus: | Upogebia |
| Species: | U. stellata |
| Binomial name | |
| Upogebia stellata (Montagu, 1808) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Upogebia stellata is a species of mud shrimp in the family Upogebiidae. [3]
Upogebia stellata is up to 5 centimetres (2 in) long; it is yellow-white, sometimes with orange spots. Its anatomy is described thus:
The specific name stellata means "starred" in Latin, referring to the spots on its body. [5]
Upogebia stellata is found in the eastern Atlantic. It is common around Great Britain and Ireland, also being found off Norway and Spain, and in the Mediterranean. [6]
U. stellata is part of the infauna, living permanently in burrows in the seafloor. It digs long tunnels in the mud up to 100 ft (30 m) in length. [7] It is a suspension feeder. Courtship is practiced through olfactory and tactile cues; sperm transfer is indirect. [1]
