Burrowing Crablet

Burrowing Crablet
Creator	OviraptorFan
Information
Status	Extant
Common Name(s)	Burrowing Crablet
Zones	15
Roles	Base-Consumer, Detritivore, Scavenger
Classification
Genus	Multis
Species	Multis nocivisquilla
Evolution
Date	May 25th, 2022
Ancestor	Multis parva
Descendants	No results

When the ecosystems of zone 15 collapsed due to uncontrolled growth of Neritina tigerensis populations, Multis parva was able to rely on detritus and carrion, surviving in small populations. Overtime ecosystems would recover and the descendants of the surviving M. parva populations went in several different directions. While some became the Emerald Crablet (Multis diegoii), other groups would go down a different path and become the Burrowing Crablet (Multis nocivisquilla).

15 centimeters long

The Burrowing Crablet scavenges the riverbed for detritus and carrion while supplementing their diet with moss-like flora and microbes. They breed during the winter months, when the cooler waters stimulate the females to become reproductive. Burrowing Crablets do not swim in the water column, spending their time often burrowing under the substrate. The first two pairs of walking limbs have developed their terminal segments into spade-like structures for digging. This allows them to avoid their larger relative, the Emerald Crablet that will eat Burrowing Crablets if they get the chance. The Burrowing Crablet lives in large groups, typically range from 50 to 70 individuals but can exceed over 100 individuals. This group living behavior means local predators are less likely to select a particular individual, plus the larger amount of individuals meant more eyes to spot potential threats. As another anti-predator defense, females also have larger clutch sizes, with females laying over 100 eggs within the sediment at a time. The eggs of the Burrowing Crablet are able to survive being dried out, which is advantageous eggs laid in particularly shallow water.