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| Mud
Lobster Thalassina anomala Mangrove Lobster/Large Mangrove Ghost Crab  These
modest, shy creatures are responsible for the strange volcano-shaped
mounds that are commonly seen in the back mangroves. Mud lobsters are believed to eat tiny organic titbits in mud. To get enough nutrition, they have to process huge amounts of mud and sand. Processed mud is piled around their burrows as they eat-and-dig through the mud. Their mounds can reach 3m high. |
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Role in the habitat: Mud Lobster digging helps the mangrove community by recycling material from deep in the mud, loosening the mud and allowing air and oxygenated water to penetrate the otherwise oxygen-poor soil. This facilitates the growth of mangrove seedlings. Experiments show that seedlings of the Nipah Palm (Nypa fruiticans), Bruguiera and Ceriops grow more quickly on mud lobster-processed soil. Other plants found commonly growing on the mounds include Sea Holly (Acanthus spp.) and Blind Your Eye (Exoecaria algallocha).
The
mounds also result in pools which at low tide, provide shelter for small
aquatic creatures. The mound is also a mini-habitat for a wide range of
creatures, many of which have adapted to live only in a "Mud Lobster
Condo". These include: an ant (Odontomachus malignus: its scientific
name comes from its vicious sting!); a spider (Idioctis littoralis);
the Mud Shrimp (Wolffogebia phuketensis: which lives permanently
in a burrow in the mound, paddling a current of nutrients into its burrow
at high tide).
Other
creatures that make use of condo facilities include mudskippers,
water snakes (e.g., the File Snake, Acrochordus granulatus). The
Collared Kingfisher (Halcyon
chloris) sometimes nests in a large mound.Status and threats: Mud lobsters are widely harvested throughout the tropical Pacific as food, and a variety of techniques have been developed for catching them. Fortunately, they are not a popular dish elsewhere. But they are considered a pest by prawn and fish farmers as their digging often undermines the bunds that form the foundation of prawn and fish ponds.
LINKS
- Wetland Friend: Ghost Farmers of the Mangroves from Wetland Wonders, a publication of Wetlands International-Asia Pacific: brief description of the mud lobster's habits and role.
- UWC Botany website on mangroves: brief description.
- ISME (International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems): brief fact sheet (do keyword search on fauna section) with photo.
- Aquatic Snakes Web Page by Harold Voris: habits, habitat, other creatures that are associated with mud lobster mounds.
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buy these references & others, visit Nature's Niche |
- Peter K L Ng and N Sivasothi, "A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II: Animal Diversity", Singapore Science Centre, 1999 (p. 86-87: description, habits, habitat, photos).
- Michael Mastaller, "Mangroves: The Forgotten Forest Between Land and Sea", Tropical Press, 1997 (p. 66-67: habits, habitat, diagram).
- Peter Widman (ed.), "A Guide to the Ecosystem of Palawan, Philippines", Times Edition, 1998 (p. 43: snippet on habit, photo).