Spotted rock shrimp
Sicyonia ocellata
The spotted rock shrimp is a small species reaching up to 3.5 cm in length. They have a marbled colour pattern of whites, pinks, greens and browns to help them blend in with the background of coarse sediment and seagrasses.
Morphology
These small shrimp have a robust exoskeleton that is highly sculptured with ridges and grooves. The species is characterised by the relative length of and number of spines on the rostrum and abdominal segments. Unlike many shrimp families they do not have large claws.
Evolution
Even though their common name is rock shrimp, the Sicyoniidae are actually prawns, which have a very different gill structure and reproductive biology.
Method of reproduction
Sexual
Habitat
Marine
This species can be found in tropical waters from 10–100 m. Despite being referred to as "rock shrimp" this species is normally found on soft sediments and commonly associated with seagrasses.
Distribution
Widespread Indo-West Pacific
Life Cycle
Several planktonic larval stages followed by a benthic adult phase
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Subclass: | Eumalacostraca |
| Superorder: | Eucarida |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Dendrobranchiata |
| Superfamily: | Penaeoidea |
| Family: | Sicyoniidae |
| Genus: | Sicyonia |
| Species: | ocellata |
| Name Published Year: | 1860 |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name Authorship: | Stimpson |
| Commercial Impact: | None |
| Conservation Assessment: | Least Concern |
Cite this page
Western Australian Museum Collections https://museum.wa.gov.au/online-collections/names/sicyonia-ocellata
Accessed 13 Aug 2024
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