By Charles & Linda Raabe
Mactan Island, The Philippines
© 2016 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  There are very few species of shrimp that we will find surviving within imported live rock, those that do survive are either quickly eaten or are of the hardy types,which usually make them undesirable within a reef aquarium system. Those small and hard to see "bugs" that you may find running around after lights off are most likely not a shrimp species but members of any one of the "pod" families, for their identifications please refer to the zooplankton section.

An ongoing photo identification database

     The Mantis Shrimp                               Spearing appendage                           Clubbing appendage

     
     
     
     

  Mantis Shrimp Movie -  A somewhat comical view of a mantis shrimp trying to catch a coral crab, which it fails to do.




    The Pistol Shrimp   ( various species )                                                               "Pistol" Claw Detail

     
      
     
   Below, an Alpheus lottini
      
   
  The below Alpheus obesomanus and some of its relatives shown above are responsible for the small, long skinny claws that we from time to time see rapidly reaching out of small holes in live rock grabbing at the surface of the rock.  This particular specimen was also unfortunate enough to have been found by an Isopod parasite which remains attached to the shrimp. The large Isopod shown is the female, fully loaded with eggs and with this family of parasitic Isopods, the male, being much smaller than the female remains on the female at all times in order to serve his sole function in life, which is to fertilize the female's eggs.
    


   The Thalassinidean Shrimp - Found living within rock burrows, rarely seen as they are very secretive.
      Shown below is a gravid female:
    
    Shown below is one of the eggs along with a photo of it hatching moments after the first photos were taken.
     
     Another species of Thalassinidean shrimp :
    


   The Mysidae -  Order Mysidacea or more commonly known as the mysid shrimp or fairy shrimps.  The presence of a statocyst on the endopod of the uropod is a characteristic feature of this group.

   



   The Palaemonidae Family - A species listing with photographic details. (below are a few examples)

    A Cuapetes tenuipes                                Periclimenes holthuisi
    
  
   Periclimenes soror -  A commensal on a variety of starfish, shown below a 6mm long female.
   
      Another P. soror (color variant)
     


    Corallicaris superba - Branching corals
     

     Harpiliopsis depressa - Branching corals
     

     Harpiliopsis spiniger - Pocillopora corals
      (Female)
   
     (Male)
     

    Exoclimenella maldivensis  -  click to view ID features.
     

              Anemone Shrimp                       Sexy Shrimp - anemones and corals
      ( Periclimenes brevicarpalis)                      (Thor amboinensis)
   



   The Penaeid Shrimp


  Metapenaeopsis lamellata -  A common Penaeid species dredged from the deep and used as both a food source and as bait for fishing here in the Philippines.  This shrimp is becoming more popular within the aquarium hobby as a pet although I would caution against keeping them in a reef aquarium as they can be quite destructive towards sessile invertebrates, greatly reducing the diversity of life found on live rocks.

     



   An Isopod Parasite of Shrimp (click link for photo details):  Shown is a female Bopyrid Isopod which will have a dwarf male attached to her. While being a parasite, the Isopod does no real harm to the shrimp, any attempts to remove the parasite will kill the shrimp.
      
    Another Bopyrid species, parasite of shrimp.  Shown is the female and the empty chamber left behind when the parasite vacates.
   
     Below,  an abdominal parasite in the genus Hemiarthrus.
     

     Microprosthema validum  
         Related to Coral Banded Shrimp                                                                              
    

   Saron Shrimp  -  Found throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific. Usually collected out of Hawai'i for the U.S., the Red Sea for European markets. Usually found in pairs in the wild. Will fight to the death if same sex individuals are placed together. Males with much longer first pair of walking/fighting legs.  Gets along fine with fishes, other crustaceans. Female shown. Will eat all types of food, is very reclusive and nocturnal.