OBSERVATIONS ON THE BURROWS AND BURROWING BEHAVIOR OF THE RED BAND-FISH, CEPOLA-RUBESCENS L

The red band-fish, Cepola rubescens L., lives in burrows in sublittora l muddy sediments. The authors first presented information on the burr ows of this species in the 1970s. The present paper presents new infor mation on burrow structure, describes the method of excavation, and co mments on the bioturbatory significance of the species. The work deriv es from field and laboratory studies. A burrow typically consists of a vertical shaft which opens into an expanded terminal chamber. In some cases a side shaft may be added. The paper includes a size analysis o f 130 burrows measured in the field and detailed morphological informa tion from a selection of burrows which were cast with polyester resin. The fish burrows are frequently intersected by the burrows of other s pecies and interspecific associations may develop. Burrow size reflect s the size of the occupant and may approach 1 m in depth. The biogenic movement of water and particles to this depth is often overlooked in bioturbation studies and is discussed. Burrow distribution is aggregat e, which has implications for the bioturbatory impact of the species. Burrows are constructed by mouth excavation and this is described in d etail. Fish transport fine material within their mouths and coarse mat erial is grasped in the jaws. Large spoil heaps occur at burrow openin gs. One obvious effect of this bioturbatory activity at the field site was the redistribution of coarse material (shell gravel) from depth t o the sediment surface.