• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.334-338
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• 2014

Specimens of Austinogebia wuhsienweni (Yu, 1931) previously recorded from China to Japan were collected at a manila clam farm of 0.5 m depth in Hongseong, Yellow Sea. They were briefly described and illustrations included color photographs, since this was the first record of this rare species from Korean waters. Three species of Upogebiidae are known from Korean waters: Upogebia major (De Haan, 1839), U. issaeffi (Balss, 1913), and A. wuhsienweni (Yu, 1931). They are similar to each other, however, the presence of the ventral spines of the rostrum, a proximal knob on the lateral margin of the uropodal endopod, and a longitudinal carina on the inner surface of the palm of the male first pereiopod can easily distinguish the present species from the two species of Upogebia.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.235-246
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• 2014

The thalassinidean upogebiid Upogebia yokoyai Makarov, 1938 was first collected and described based on the specimens from the upper tidal flat of sandy shores of Jeju Island, Korea. Although this species was already reported in Japan and Russia, this is the first report of its occurrence in Korea. Upogebia yokoyai differs clearly from other upogebiid species previously recorded in Korean waters, U. major and U. issaeffi, by spinulation of the dactylus and propodus of pereiopod 1. In addition, some morphological comparisons are provided for identification of the three Upogebia species in Korean waters.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.323-349
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• 2013

The mud shrimp Upogebia major (Upogebiidae: Decapoda: Crustacea) is a common species on muddy and sandy mud tidal flats in the west coast of Korea. They reside in Y-shaped burrows that can extend up to more than 2 meters below the sediment surface. They feed on suspended detritus carried into their burrow by the beating of their pleopods and captured by their hairy first two pairs of thoracic legs. Mud shrimp burrows provide a habitat for a variety of small organisms such as crabs, shrimps, polychaetes, and mollusks. Ovigerous females are observed from December to May. Females deposit eggs only once per breeding season. They start hatching in March and the pelagic larvae of first zoea appear in March and April, followed by benthic settlement in May. Growth over the first year is rapid, and females deposit their first eggs in the third breeding season, 31 months after their settlement. Adult shrimps live for 4~5 years. Depth of the burrow increases with body length. The deep burrows provide refuge from predators and physical stress, allowing the shrimps to survive for a long time. The mud shrimps supply oxygen-rich water to their deep burrows, and exert a great influence on the structure and metabolism of the tidal flat benthic community. However, recently this type of mud shrimp has posed a serious threat to the Korean clam industry along the west coast of Korea. The extensive burrowing shrimp populations suddenly invaded the tidal flats from 2010 where the clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) are raised. As a consequence, clam production has decreased by about 10% over the past three years in some Korean clam beds. Therefore, the objective of this study is to review the biology of this mud shrimp in order to seek solutions to control the burrowing of these shrimps.