DSC_0981 Tunnelling mud crab (Austrohelice crassa) view of area with high density of burrows, with crabs, venturing outside at low tide. Aramoana.
DSC_7376 Tunnelling mud crab (Austrohelice crassa) excavating burrow. Scavenges through mud for organic detritus, and occasionally feeding on bleached decomposing sea lettuce. Tolerant of fresh water, and penetrating far into estuaries. Papanui Inlet, Otago Peninsula.
DSC_5142 Stalk-eyed mud crab, or papaka (Hemiplax hirtipes) lives in the intertidal zone in burrows in mud, in harbours, mudflats and tidal creeks. Otago Harbour *
