Cleaner-shrimp
Guides
Caridea
caridean shrimp, true shrimp
Caridea is a species-rich infraorder of decapod crustaceans comprising over 3,000 described species of true shrimp. Members are distinguished from other shrimp groups by their brooding reproductive strategy, lamellar gill structure, and characteristic abdominal segmentation where the second segment overlaps both the first and third. They occupy diverse aquatic habitats from freshwater streams to abyssal depths exceeding 5,000 meters, with roughly one-quarter of species inhabiting freshwater environments. The group includes commercially significant species such as Pandalus borealis and ecologically important cleaner shrimp that maintain reef fish health.
Hippolytidae
broken-back shrimp, cleaner shrimp, anemone shrimp, hump-backed shrimps
Hippolytidae is a family of marine caridean shrimp commonly known as broken-back shrimp, cleaner shrimp, or anemone shrimp. The family was redefined in 2023, with several former genera transferred to other families (Bythocariidae, Lysmatidae, Merguiidae, Thoridae), leaving 16 genera in Hippolytidae sensu stricto. Some members engage in cleaning symbiosis with fish, removing parasites and debris from host bodies. The family shows both diurnal and nocturnal activity patterns, with behavioral differences in cleaning site preferences.
Lysmata
cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp
Lysmata is a genus of marine caridean shrimp distinguished by its unique sexual system of protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism. The genus includes two main ecological groups: cleaner shrimp that live in pairs and remove parasites from fish, and peppermint shrimp that often live in aggregations and consume pest anemones. All studied species begin life as males before maturing into functional simultaneous hermaphrodites capable of both producing and fertilizing eggs. Members of this genus are heavily targeted by the ornamental aquarium trade, with some species commanding high prices.
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Coral Shrimps, Boxer Shrimp
Stenopodidae is a family of marine decapod crustaceans comprising approximately 6 genera and more than 30 described extant species. The family has a fossil record extending to the Devonian period. Members are commonly known as coral shrimps or boxer shrimp and are distinguished from true shrimp and prawns by morphological and phylogenetic affinities closer to reptant decapods such as lobsters and crabs. The family exhibits diverse ecological associations including fish cleaning symbioses, commensalism with deep-water corals, and obligate associations with hexactinellid sponges.
Stenopus hispidus
banded coral shrimp, banded cleaner shrimp, coral banded shrimp
Stenopus hispidus is a marine decapod crustacean in the family Stenopodidae, recognized as one of the most widely distributed cleaner shrimps in tropical seas. The species reaches 60 mm in total length and exhibits striking red-and-white banded coloration on the carapace, abdomen, and enlarged third pereiopods. It is exclusively monogamous, with pairs occupying reef territories 1–2 meters in diameter. The species advertises cleaning services to client fish through a distinctive "dancing" behavior involving lateral antennae movement, and removes parasites, fungi, and damaged tissue using its three pairs of claws. Females are typically larger than males and carry externally fertilized eggs until hatching.