Hermit crab opossum shrimp

Morphology

Male Heteromysis harpaxoides have enlarged fore limbs which are adapted for grasping and are probably used in feeding, in females these are reduced in size. Females carry eggs in the pouch-like marsupium underneath the body, hence the common name of opossum shrimp. This group also has a pair of structures called statocysts in the tail fan which are used for balance and orientation.

Evolution

The opossum shrimp aren't closely related to the true shrimp, but are more closely allied with the shrimp-like Euphausiacea (krill) and other crustacean groups like isopods (slaters).

Method of reproduction

Sexual

Habitat

Marine

Heteromysis harpaxoides is a shallow water species and is found living commensally in the shells inhabited by large hermit crabs of the genus Dardanus.

Distribution

Northern Australia

Life Cycle

Females brood the eggs in the marsupium and hatch as juveniles.