Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
Scientific Name: Lysmata debelius
The scarlet cleaner shrimp has an
exoskeleton or hard shell that it periodically
molts or sheds as it grows. This exoskeleton encases, protects and supports the shrimp’s soft body. Getting ready to molt, the animal produces a new soft exoskeleton and then climbs out of the old one. The shrimp’s body swells up to make the new soft shell expand. After it hardens, the shrimp pumps out all the excess water and will eventually grow into this new larger shell.
Region: Philippines
Appearance
Bright like a strawberry, scarlet cleaner shrimp, as the name suggests, is a deep red color. Their long white antennae make them look much larger than they really are. Scarlet cleaner shrimp are small, only reaching a maximum of 2 inches (5 cm).
Habitat
Living alone, together in a pair, or in a small group, scarlet cleaner shrimp live in small caves in sheltered areas of the reef. They will aggressively defend their territory from intruders. They are found all over the reef and even live under large rocks near the shore. They can be found from the surface to depths of 67 feet (20 m).
Range
Scarlet cleaner shrimp live in the warm parts of the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
Diet
Cleaner shrimp literally eat off of fish. Waving its long antennae and doing a special dance, the scarlet cleaner shrimp lets the animals of the reef know that it is open for business. One shrimp or several share a cleaning station where large ferocious predators line up. They don’t bother or hurt each other, while waiting for their turn with the cleaner shrimp. Sharks, moray eels, large groupers, and triggerfish are some of the shrimp’s best customers. When it is their turn, the fish pulls up next to the coral, sponge, or anemone that the shrimp is standing on. Remaining completely still, the fish opens it mouth wide and waits for the shrimp to jump onto its body. Climbing inside the mouth and gills, the shrimp picks off dead and diseased skin, bacteria, and parasites from the fish’s mucus coating—and sometimes from off their eyeballs too. The fish actually go into a trance-like state when they are being cleaned.
Reproduction
A male deposits a spermatophore or packet of sperm onto the female’s chest area where all the legs attach. This is often called the ‘tar spot’ because the spermatophore is a dark black color. After the female produces her eggs, she will break open the spermatophore to release the sperm, which fertilizes her eggs.
Female scarlet cleaner shrimps can produce eggs up to four times a year and there can be up to a half a million eggs each time. The eggs remain under the female for about four weeks and eventually turn brown. When they hatch, the female fans her tail, releasing her young into the open ocean as planktonic larvae or larvae that live in the upper layer of the ocean and float there until they reach a certain size. This spreads out the larvae over a wide range of areas. In scarlet cleaner shrimps, this phase of their life can last as long as 6 months and the tiny shrimps can be carried thousands of miles.
A species or group of organisms that is in danger of extinction or disappearing
from the face of the earth in the near future if its situation is not improved.
A species that can be found throughout its natural range but is declining in number and may become
endangered in the absence of special protection efforts.
A species that is not declining in number but is of special concern because it is sensitive to pressure by
particular human activities or natural events.
A species that is not declining in number and is not sensitive to pressures by human activities or natural
events.
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Threats and Management
The scarlet cleaner shrimp is an expensive animal and doesn’t do very well in the home aquarium. It will clean some of the animals in a tank, but is choosy and will not clean them all. Home hobbyists can’t just rely on them picking clean their tank mates, but need to provide them with other sources of food, of which they prefer live food. Additionally, they are very sensitive to changes in water chemistry. If a pair is bought together and one doesn’t like the other one, it will chase it around the tank until it catches it and kills it. All of these reasons have kept many home hobbyists from buying scarlet cleaner shrimp, which has helped to keep their population stable.
Did You Know?
Shrimp can cast off a leg if it is bitten by a predator. This strategy helps to keep the shrimp from getting an infection in an open wound where the animals would have bit it. By casting off the limb, the shrimp can seal off the place where the leg attached. Eventually, the shrimp will regenerate or regrow the leg.
Like a house fly, the scarlet cleaner shrimp has compound eyes. The eye is made of thousands of tiny cylinders and each has their own lens and light receptor. Each cylinder can see part of the image before them, creating a mosaic out of what the animal is seeing. The eyes of the tiny shrimp are high on stalks and protected by a clear casing that is part of the shrimp’s hard outer shell. Having eyes up high gives the shrimp a complete view both in front and to the sides.
References
Print Publications:
Allen, G. R. & Stene, R. 1996. Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide. El Cajon, California: Odyssey Publishing Company. 378p. ISBN# 981-00-5687-7.
Allen, G. R. 1997. Tropical Marine Life. North Claredon, Vermont: Periplus Editions Ltd. 64p. ISBN# 962-593-157-0.
Banister, K. & Campbell, A. 1988. Encylopedia of Aquatic Life. New York, New York: Equinox (Oxford) Ltd. 349p. ISBN# 0-8160-1257-101-X.
Colin, P. L. & Arneson, C. 1995. Tropical Pacific Invertebrates. Beverly Hills, California: Coral Reef Press. 296p. ISBN# 0-9645625-0-2.
Coleman, N. 1999. Dangerous Sea Creatures Aquatic Survival Guide. Australia: Neville Coleman’s Underwater Geographic Pty Ltd. 95p. ISBN# 0-947325-24-7.
Coulombe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist. A Guide to Study at the Seashore. New York, New York: Prentice Hall Press. 246p. ISBN# 0-13-79710.
Hoover, J. P. 1998. Hawai’i’s Sea Creatures. A Guide to Hawa’i’s Marine Invertebrates. Honolulu, Hawaii: Mutual Publishing. 366p. ISBN# 1-56647-220-2.
Perrine, D. 1997. Mysteries of the Sea. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Publications International, Ltd. 312p. ISBN# 0-7853-2430-5.
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Vocabulary Words
Extinction – An organism that has not been present on the face of the earth for over 50 years.
Exoskeleton – A hard external skeleton that encases, protects and supports the soft body of animals like crustaceans.
Molt – The periodic process of shedding an exoskeleton as crustaceans grow.
Organism – A living thing.
Planktonic larvae – Newly born animals that live in the upper layer of the ocean and float there until they reach a certain size. This spreads out the larvae over a wide range of areas.
Regenerate – To regrow a part as a replacement for a lost part.
Species – A group of organisms capable of breeding and producing fertile offspring; organisms that share the same gene pool.
Spermatophore – A packet of sperm that is deposited onto a female’s body. The spermatophore will be used when the female has fully developed eggs that are ready to be fertilized.
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