''Acanthephyra purpurea'', sometimes called the fire-breathing shrimp, is a species of

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some Fungus, fungi, microorganisms including ...

deep sea

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...

first described in 1881. The species is known for 'vomiting' bioluminescent fluid when distressed, although the fluid likely originates from the

hepatopancreas The hepatopancreas, digestive gland or midgut gland is an organ of the digestive tract of arthropods and molluscs. It provides the functions which in mammals are provided separately by the liver and pancreas, including the production of digestive ...

and not the stomach. ''A. purpurea'' expels large quantities of luminous fluid when distressed. When it is discharged into the water,

luciferin Luciferin (from the Latin ''lucifer'', "light-bearer") is a generic term for the light-emitting compound found in organisms that generate bioluminescence. Luciferins typically undergo an enzyme-catalyzed reaction with molecular oxygen. The result ...

contained in the fluid reacts with oxygen to produce

luciferase Luciferase is a generic term for the class of oxidative enzymes that produce bioluminescence, and is usually distinguished from a photoprotein. The name was first used by Raphaël Dubois who invented the words ''luciferin'' and ''luciferase'', ...

and light. It is believed that this fluid is intended to confuse or distract predators. ''A. purpurea'' is one of several species of deep sea shrimp that are known to expel bioluminescent fluid, including ''

Heterocarpus ensifer ''Heterocarpus ensifer'' is a species of deep-water shrimp. The nominate subspecies is found in the Atlantic Ocean from Spain and Madeira to Angola and from North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea; other subspecies occur in the ...

'', ''Systellaspis debilis'', and ''Olophorus gracilorostris.'' The species is mostly

gonochoric In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are only two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism c ...

. It engages in courtship displays through olfactory and tactile cues, and usually employs indirect sperm transfer.

References

Caridea Bioluminescent arthropoda {{Caridea-stub