Banded cleaner shrimp (species: Stenopus hispidus) in Sydney Marine Life (Gaia Guide)
Sydney Marine Life > Malacostraca > Decapoda > Stenopodidae > Stenopus hispidus (gallery)
Stenopus hispidus
Banded cleaner shrimp


©Richard Ling: Banded Cleaner Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

©Jan Messersmith: Banded cleaner shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)

©Anne: A pair of Banded Coral Shrimp at Lizard Island

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Malacostraca
Order Decapoda
Family Stenopodidae
Genus Stenopus
Species Stenopus hispidus

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Colours

                   

Distinguishing features

Distinguishing features still need to be specified.

Size

  • Up to 6 cm (Length of specimen)

Depth range

  • From 1 m to 210 m

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Behaviour

It is a cleaner shrimp, and advertises to passing fish by slowly waving its long, white antennae. It then uses its three pairs of claws to remove parasites, fungi and damaged tissue from the fish. They have also been known to provide a detailed manicure for passing divers who need a little extra grooming.

Web resources

References

  • Becker, J.H.A. (2006). Interactions between cleaner shrimp and their client fishes on coral reefs, Ph.D. thesis, University of Queensland. LIRS catalog number 978.
  • Humann, P. and N. Deloach (2010). Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, Florida, USA.