Maldivian Shrimps

The smallest of our shrimp species in the Fish Lab, growing to only 20mm maximum, they are also the most sociable, preferring to live in large groups. They are the only species in the Lab to have a symbiotic relationship with anemones and corals.
Despite their small size, Dancing Shrimp can be easy to spot as they are a bright red/orange in colour, with large white markings along the body and tail. Males have an unbroken stripe across the tail, whereas in females it is broken into three large spots. Females are also much larger than the males as they are protandrous hermaphrodites, transitioning from male to female based on size.
Dancing Shrimp have a very short abdomen and an unusual raised tail, which they hold above their head and wiggle back and forth (this is where the species gets its common name). It is not clear why they ‘dance’ like this, perhaps for communication. Eggs are held under the tail, and upon hatching the 2mm larvae are light brown and the same thickness along the body.

The largest of our Fish Lab shrimp species, growing to 75mm in length. Preferring to be in pairs, the Boxer Shrimp is highly territorial, and can become aggressive to other shrimps (except their mated partner). They have very distinctive colouring, like a candy cane, with red and white stripes all over the body including on the pincer claws. They also have long antennae which extend well past the body. The females are larger than the males, and typically wider in the abdomen to allow for eggs to be stored underneath.

Eggs are a bright blue/green when immature, fading to white as they develop. Shortly before hatching, black spots become visible within the eggs. The larvae are large (3-4mm) and begin to show red and white banding at an early age, as well as the spines used for protection in the adults.

Growing to 50-75mm, they are one of the more unusual looking species. The body is covered in a mix of spots, blotches and stripes of various colours (grey, yellow, red, brown and even green). The legs are striped in either blue/white or red/white, and the eyes are large and dominant on the head.

The body of the Marbled Shrimp is covered in tufts of cilia on both the back and underside. Females have large tufts of these cilia on the front legs (looking almost like a toothbrush!) while in males this is absent or reduced. They also have the ability to camouflage, and have been recorded changing colour dramatically between day and night.

The larvae are large at 3mm, with a wide carapace, almost 2x wider than the other species.

This species is commonly mixed up with the Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) as they have similar colouring and size (50 mm). The shrimp is red, with a cream/white striping and spots in a geometric pattern, with a long white stripe around the mid-section which has a hump like a camel’s back. They have a long rostrum beak, which is mobile and swings up and down. This is why they are also sometimes called Hinge-beak Shrimp as well as Camel Shrimp. Males and females are similar sizes, but the females tend to be smaller with smaller pincers.

Eggs are dark grey and easily visible under the abdomen and through the side of the body. The larvae are a similar shape to the larvae of the S. marmoratus but smaller (only 1.5-2mm), with a much narrower carapace, though still wider than both T.amboinensis and S. hispidus.

This species is usually associated with cleaning stations and is easily seen with on the reef due to their long white antennae that extend past the body.

They have a yellow underbelly, and bright red back with a long white stripe that runs from the head to the tail, and are relatively large for a cleaner species at 2 inches .

This species is hermaphroditic, producing both eggs and sperm at the same time, making pairing easy; they can store reproductive materials until required. The eggs are green when first produced, and fade to clear as they develop (similar to S. hispidus.)