Hymenocera

"Harlequin shrimp" redirects here. For the freshwater species from Sulawesi, see Caridina woltereckae.

Hymenocera picta
Harlequin shrimp hunting a Fromia milleporella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Caridea
Family: Palaemonidae
Genus: Hymenocera
Latreille, 1819
Species:
H. picta
Binomial name
Hymenocera picta
Dana, 1852
Synonyms

Hymenocera elegans Heller, 1861

Hymenocera picta, commonly known as the harlequin shrimp, is a species of saltwater shrimp found at coral reefs in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is usually considered the only species in the genus Hymenocera,[1][2] but some split it into two species: H. picta from the central and east Pacific, where the spots are deep pinkish-purple with a yellow edge, and H. elegans from the Indian Ocean and west Pacific, where the spots are more brownish and have a blue edge.[3] They reach about 5 cm (2.0 in) in length, live in pairs, and feed exclusively on starfish,[3] including crown-of-thorns starfish. They do seem to prefer smaller, more sedentary starfish, but as these generally are not sufficiently numerous for their needs, they commonly attack crown-of-thorns starfish, both reducing its consumption of coral while under attack, and killing it within a few days.[4]

  1. ^ Sammy De Grave (2010). "Hymenocera Latreille, 1819". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  2. ^ Sammy De Grave; N. Dean Pentcheff; Shane T. Ahyong; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 21: 1–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
  3. ^ a b Debelius, H. (2001). Crustacea: Guide to the World. Pp. 198-199. ISBN 978-3-931702-74-8
  4. ^ Glynn, P.W., Interactions between Acanthaster and Hymenocera in the field and laboratory. In: D.L. Taylor (ed.) Proceedings of Third International Coral Reef Symposium Vol. 1: Biology. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Miami, Florida. pp. 209-216. 1977