Rockpool
Guides
Palaemon elegans
rockpool shrimp, rockpool prawn
Palaemon elegans is a small caridean shrimp native to northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal waters. It has expanded its range through human-mediated transport and changing environmental conditions, becoming established in the Baltic Sea, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea. The species is ecologically similar to several congeners, particularly Palaemon adspersus, with which it competes and has displaced in some regions. Its tolerance of variable salinity has facilitated colonization of brackish environments.