Upogebia hirtifrons

Upogebia hirtifrons is a species of mud shrimp endemic to New Zealand. They were first described by Scottish zoologist Adam White from a specimen collected during the Ross Expedition to Antarctica. As adults, they are roughly 70 mm in length and are a pale brown colour. They occur throughout the coasts of the North Island and northern South Island, where they live in burrows in soft sediment. In their burrows, they use their legs to generate a water current and then they feed on particles filtered from the water. The parasitic isopod Gyge angularis is known to feed on their blood.