this work was supported by the australian antarctic division , the australian fisheries research and development corporation , industry stakeholders ( petuna sealord and austral fisheries ) , and the australian fisheries management authority .
for the first time the entire sequence of the mating behaviour of antarctic krill ( euphausia superba ) in the wild is captured on underwater video . 
 this footage also provides evidence that mating can take place near the seafloor at depths of 400700 m. this observation challenges the generally accepted concept of the pelagic lifestyle of krill . 
 the mating behaviour observed most closely resembles the mating behaviour reported for a decapod shrimp ( penaeus ) . 
 the implications of the new observation are also discussed .