| Alpheus macrocheles | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Caridea |
| Family: | Alpheidae |
| Genus: | Alpheus |
| Species: | A. macrocheles |
| Binomial name | |
| Alpheus macrocheles (Hailstone, 1835) | |
Alpheus macrocheles, also known as the orange European snapping prawn, is a species of snapping shrimp within the family Alpheidae. [1]
Alpheus macrocheles grow up to 35 mm long [2] and have a cheliped morphology. [3] The chela is highly twisted and compressed, and the dactylar articulation deviates from the perpendicular plane to the dorsal margin. [3] There is often distinct grooves on the chela's lateral face. [3] Most individuals of this species are bright orange, however yellow individuals also exist. [2] Like other species within the genus Alpheus the claws of Alpheus macrocheles are asymmetrical, with one of the claws being larger than the other. [4] The larger claw is used for hunting small prey animals and self defence against predators and their own species. [2]
Alpheus macrocheles can be found within the English Channel along the South coast of England [2] and France. [5] It has also been documented in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean on both sides, and even in waters around Ascension Island in the Central Atlantic. [3] It has been recorded to also live off the coast of Spain, Portugal, Greece [5] and the Azores Archipelago. [3]
Alpheus macrocheles is a marine species. [3] It can be found living underwater in fissures and hollows underneath rocks and boulders. [2] They generally favour larger boulders on the lower shoreline. [2] The oceans current pushes sediment such as sand into the hollow, which allows A. macrocheles to excavate tunnels. [2] Tunnels are usually shared by a breeding pair and possess two entrances, with each entrance being guarded by an individual shrimp. [2]
The Caridea, commonly known as caridean shrimp or true shrimp, from the Greek word καρίς, καρίδος, are an infraorder of shrimp within the order Decapoda. This infraorder contains all species of true shrimp. They are found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Many other animals with similar names – such as the mud shrimp of Axiidea and the boxer shrimp of Stenopodidea – are not true shrimp, but many have evolved features similar to true shrimp.
The tiger pistol shrimp belongs to the Alpheidae family, known commonly as snapping shrimp.
Mirocaris is a genus of shrimp associated with hydrothermal vents. Sometimes considered the only genus of the family Mirocarididae, Mirocaris is usually placed in the broader family Alvinocarididae. Mirocaris is characterized by a dorsoventrally flattened, non-dentate rostrum, as well as the possession of episodes on the third maxilliped through to the fourth pteropod. The genus contains two species, M. fortunata and M. indica. The two species are found in different oceans, and can be distinguished by the pattern of setation on the claw of the first pereiopod.
Alpheidae is a family within the infraorder caridea characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound.
Alpheus is a genus of snapping shrimp of the family Alpheidae. This genus contains in excess of 330 species, making this the most species-rich genus of shrimp. Like other snapping shrimp, the claws of Alpheus are asymmetrical, with one of the claws enlarged for making a popping noise. Some species in the genus enter into symbiotic relationships with gobiid fishes, and others associate with sea anemones.
Alpheopsis is a genus of shrimp of the family Alpheidae. Several species of the genus have been known to share the same burrows with members of different species. They are inhabitants of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Synalpheus is a genus of snapping shrimp of the family Alpheidae, presently containing more than 160 species; new ones are described on a regular basis, and the exact number even of described species is disputed.
Amblyeleotris steinitzi, Steinitz' prawn goby or simply Steinitz' goby, is a species of small fish in the family Gobiidae. It lives in association with an alpheid shrimp and is found from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean.
Squilla mantis is a species of mantis shrimp found in shallow coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Atlantic Ocean: it is also known as "pacchero" or "canocchia". Its abundance has led to it being the only commercially fished mantis shrimp in the Mediterranean.
Alpheus randalli is a species of snapping shrimp in the family Alpheidae. It lives in the Marquesas Islands and parts of the Indian Ocean, including the Seychelles, in association with a goby of the genus Amblyeleotris. The shrimp is transparent or white with prominent red markings.
Synalpheus regalis is a species of snapping shrimp that commonly live in sponges in the coral reefs along the tropical West Atlantic. They form a prominent component of the diverse marine cryptofauna of the region. For the span of their entire lives, they live in the internal canals of the host sponge, using it as a food resource and shelter. It has been shown that colonies contain over 300 individuals, but only one reproductive female. Also, larger colony members, most of which apparently never breed, defend the colony against heterospecific intruders. This evidence points towards the first known case of eusociality in a marine animal.
Alpheus heterochaelis, the bigclaw snapping shrimp, is a snapper or pistol shrimp in the family Alpheidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.
Synalpheus microneptunus is a species of small snapping shrimp native to the waters off the island of Barbados. It is one of at least seven known species of eusocial shrimp. They are cryptofauna, living exclusively within the network of tunnels in the sponges Neopetrosia proxima and Neopetrosia subtriangularis. They form small colonies of six to fifteen individuals, usually with only a single breeding female.
Alpheus tricolor is a crustacean belonging to the family of snapping shrimp. It was first isolated in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. It counts with a setose carapace, an acute rostrum, shallow adrostral furrows and a basicerite with a strong ventrolateral tooth. The lamella of its scaphocerite is not reduced, with an anterior margin that is concave. Its third maxilliped counts with an epipodial plate bearing thick setae, while its first chelipeds are found with their merus bearing a strong disto-mesial tooth; its third pereiopod has an armed ischium, with a simple and conical dactylus. Its telson is broad, distally tapering, with 2 pairs of dorsal spines. The species is named after its characteristic colour pattern, including white, red and orange.
Alpheus fasqueli is a crustacean belonging to the family of snapping shrimp. It was first isolated in Sri Lanka. It counts with a setose carapace, an acute and carinate rostrum, and unarmed orbital hoods. Its basicerite has a strong ventrolateral tooth. The lamella of its scaphocerite is not reduced. Its third maxilliped counts with an epipodial plate bearing thick setae, while its first chelipeds are found with their merus bearing a strong disto-mesial tooth; its third pereiopod has an armed ischium, with a simple and conical dactylus. Its telson is broad, distally tapering, with 2 pairs of dorsal spines. The species is named after Frédéric Fasquel, a photographer who contributed rare shrimp specimens for the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle.
Synalpheus pinkfloydi, the Pink Floyd pistol shrimp, is a species of snapping shrimp in the genus Synalpheus. Described in 2017, it was named after the rock band Pink Floyd, in part because it has a distinctive "bright pink-red claw". The sound it makes by snapping the claw shut reaches 210 decibels, and can kill nearby small fish.
Alpheus digitalis is a species of pistol shrimp in the family Alpheidae. The species was first discovered after a taxonomic study of a snapping shrimp from the genus Alpheus from Japan and the Gulf of Thailand, of which, it was found that two species was confounded under A.digitalis, which was originally described based on a single specimen possessing abnormal chelipeds.
Alpheus armatus is a species of snapping shrimp in the family Alpheidae, found in shallow water in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It lives in association with a sea anemone such as Bartholomea annulata, clearing out sand from the cracks and crevices in which the sea anemone often lives.
Alpheus malleator, the hammerclaw snapping shrimp or bumpy-clawed snapping shrimp, is a species of marine snapping shrimp. It is considered the most distinctive species in the genus Alpheus due to intricate morphological features.
Alpheus astrinx, also known as the candy-stripe pistol prawn, is a rare species of snapping shrimp found around Australia and Papua New Guinea. It has recent presence in the fossil record, having been recorded from 0.012 million years ago. The species has an acute rostrum which is roughly equal to the length of the first segment on the antennae.