Banded Coral Shrimp

Stenopus hispidus, or the banded coral shrimp, is a fascinating creature.  They can be identified by their red and white banded body and claws, two pairs of long, white, hair-like antenna, a translucent body section, and enlarged middle legs that bare claws.  Banded coral shrimp are relatively small, growing anywhere from one and a half to two inches in length.

A Banded Coral Shrimp awaiting a dirty customer

All shrimp belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Arthropods have segmented legs and a hard exoskeleton. More specifically, shrimp are members to the class Crustacea.  Crustaceans have two pairs of antenna and their bodies are divided into three sections: head, thorax, and abdomen.  Banded coral shrimp also fall into the largest order of crustaceans called decopods.  Lobsters and crabs also belong to the order Decopoda.  The order can be defined as having five pairs of segmented legs and the head being fused to the thorax.  This is called the carapace.  Banded coral shrimp are further classified into the Natantia suborder, or true shrimp.  The distinguishing aspect of shrimp are their long hair-like antenna and well developed abdomen that they use for swimming.

Banded coral shrimp are cleaner shrimp, they remove and feed off parasites, dead tissue, or left over food particles on other marine creatures.  Cleaner shrimp are one of the best examples of symbiosis in reef ecology.  When these organisms are hungry, they perch near the openings of recesses and wait for marine creatures looking for a clean.  Once a fish or eel approaches the shrimp, it preforms a dance where it sways from side to side while whipping its antenna back and forth.  This indicates to the fish that the shrimp is willing to clean.  If the fish can, it signals it wants a clean by flashing colors.  The shrimp then gets busy cleaning the fish's face, gills, or even inside their mouth.  The fish then signals its departure by another flash of color or a certain movement and the shrimp exits the fish.

Since the Banded coral shrimp preforms such a helpful ecological role, they have little to no predators and a fairly wide distribution.  They are common to Florida and the Caribbean as well as the Indo-Pacific area.  More specifically, these cleaner shrimp inhabit reef systems and can often be found in small holes and crevices.  Banded coral shrimp are also interesting in that they mate for life.  When its time to mate, males will approach their recently molted female partner and preform their mating ritual.  Once fertilization occurs, the offspring are released into the water after about two weeks where they begin life as planktonic larva.

References: Schuller, Zachary. "Stenopus Hispidus, Banded Coral Shrimp." Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish, and Nautilus - The Cephalopod Page. Web. 13 Jan. 2011. <http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/MarineInvertebrateZoology/Stenopushispidus.html>.; Humann, Paul, and Ned Deloach. Reef Creature: Identification : Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. Jacksonville: New World Publ, 2002. 164+. Print.