''Hymenocera picta'', commonly known as the harlequin shrimp, is a species of
saltwater
Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...
shrimp found at
coral reef
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
C ...
s in the tropical
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
and
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
s. It is usually considered the only species in the genus ''Hymenocera'',
but some split it into two species: ''H. picta'' from the central and east Pacific, where the spots are deep pinkish-purple with a yellow edge, and ''H. elegans'' from the Indian Ocean and west Pacific, where the spots are more brownish and have a blue edge.
[Debelius, H. (2001). ''Crustacea: Guide to the World.'' Pp. 198-199. ] They reach about in length, live in pairs, and feed exclusively on
starfish,
[ including crown-of-thorns starfish. They do seem to prefer smaller, more sedentary starfish, but as these generally are not sufficiently numerous for their needs, they commonly attack crown-of-thorns starfish, both reducing its consumption of coral while under attack, and killing it within a few days.][Glynn, P.W., Interactions between Acanthaster and Hymenocera in the field and laboratory. In: D.L. Taylor (ed.) Proceedings of Third International Coral Reef Symposium Vol. 1: Biology. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, Florida. pp. 209-216. 1977]
Description
The harlequin shrimp is usually cream colored or white with occasional spots. Around the Pacific Ocean, many of these shrimp have red spots, while the Indian Ocean shrimp typically have purple spots; the Hawaiian ''H. picta'' has purple and red spots on its body, the shrimp has two walking legs on each side and large claws, or chelipoda. The claws and eyes appear to look flattened and thin. On its head, the shrimp has "petal-like sensory antennules" to smell out prey. Its body usually reaches up to 5 cm (2 in), and the male is slightly smaller than the female.[[University of Hawaii Mãnoa Education Department. "Marine Life Profile: Harlequin Shrimp." Waikiki Aquarium, n.d. Web
Image:Hymenocera picta.jpg , Couple of ''Hymenocera picta'' hunting a sea star
Image:Harlequin Shrimp 1.jpg , Harlequin shrimp of Indian Ocean/West Pacific population
Image:Hymenocera picta55.jpg
Image:Harlequin Shrimps - Hymenocera Elegans.jpg
]
Habitat
These shrimp are typically found in Hawaii through the Indo-Pacific below the intertidal zone on coral reefs.
Diet
Harlequin shrimp usually only feed on starfish. They are very skilled at flipping over a slow starfish on its back, and eating the tube feet and soft tissues until it reaches the central disk. They, usually one female and one male, use their claws to pierce the tough skin and feeding legs to help them maneuver the starfish. Sometimes, the starfish will shed the arm that the shrimp attacked and regrow it, but it is usually too wounded to regrow. They may also feed on sea urchins, because they have tube feet, as well, but that is rare and only if starfish are not available.
Behavior/reproduction
The harlequin shrimp moves at a very slow pace and in waves. It also may have toxins from its prey (the starfish), which could make it distasteful and potentially dangerous for predators. The shrimp also moves its claws almost constantly. Females are larger and have colored abdominal plates unlike the males. The female produces between 100 and 5,000 eggs per season depending on environmental factors. The male and female are often seen together in the wild, and work together to not only reproduce, but also to forage.["Harlequin Shrimp." Harlequin Shrimp. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
]
References
External links
Video of an Adult and juvenile harlequin shrimp
hosted by YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
*[University of Hawaii Mãnoa Education Department. "Marine Life Profile: Harlequin Shrimp." Waikiki Aquarium, n.d. Web.
*"Harlequin Shrimp - Hymenocera Picta." FreshMarine.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. .
*"Harlequin Shrimp." Harlequin Shrimp. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2013. ..
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2715679
Palaemonoidea
Monotypic arthropod genera
Crustaceans described in 1819