Banded cleaner shrimp
Stenopus hispidus
This shrimp is commonly seen by SCUBA divers on Australian coral reefs. It is banded orange/red and white with purple armpits. The common name derives from its habit of establishing cleaning stations where they remove parasites and dead tissue from fish.
Morphology
The carapace, abdomen and third legs (larger chelipeds) are spiny and banded red and white, occasionally with tinges of purple. It has two pairs of long antennae and the carpus (third segment) of the fourth and fifth pairs of legs have multiple segments. Body length can reach 90mm.
Behaviour
Occurs on shallow subtidal rocky and coral reefs, generally found in pairs at entrances of small caves or crevices.
Method of reproduction
Sexual
Habitat
Marine
This species is a common inhabitant of coral reefs.
Distribution
It has a pan-tropical distribution, in Australia it is found from Rottnest Island to south NSW
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Subclass: | Eumalacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Stenopodidea |
| Family: | Stenopodidae |
| Genus: | Stenopus |
| Species: | hispidus |
| Name Published Year: | 1811 |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name Authorship: | Olivier |
| Commercial Impact: | This species is targeted by the aquarium trade |
| Conservation Assessment: | Data Deficient |
Cite this page
Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/Stenopus-hispidus
Accessed 26 Apr 2025
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