STUDIES ON THE INTERSPECIFIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOBIID FISH AND SNAPPING SHRIMP II. LIFE HISTORY AND PAIR FORMATION OF SNAPPING SHRIMP ALPHEUS BELLULUS

Abstract

The snapping shrimp Alpheus bellulus and the gobiid fish Amblyeleotris japonica live together in the burrow dug by the shrimp and a tactile alarm communication is developed between them. The association is established at the juvenile stage soon after settlement and maintained throughout their lives. The members of the association are sometimes changed by the movement of the fish between burrows. Pair formation of the shrimp begins at the juvenile stage and the adults usually occur in pairs. Resin casts of burrows and the data on the daily positional change of the entrance of one burrow indicate that burrows are extensive enough to come close to the adjacent burrows within the sediment, suggesting that a solitary shrimp has a chance to acquire a mate through the connection of its burrows with the adjacent burrow. The early pair formation and the stable pair bond of this species are attributed to the difficulty in obtaining a mate owing to the discreteness of the habitat.