Easily distinguished by their long rostrums, serrated above and below. These are very common, but easily overlooked tropical and temperate-rock-dwelling shrimps. Most are quite small, and many are semi-transparent. To add to their encryption, these shrimps are able to alter their color and markings to match their oft-commensal hosts, mainly anemones and sea cucumbers. 

Palaemonid Species on Parade!:

Genus Brachycarpus:

Genus Dasycaris:

Dasycaris zanzibarica Bruce 1973. Transparent body with color banding that matches the sea whip host. Has prominent thorax and abdomen and large chelipeds. At right female (right) and male (about half the length). Below, some other color variants. N. Sulawesi pix.

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Genus Hamopontonia:

Hamopontonia corallicola Western Pacific; Japan, Australia, Indonesia. To 2.5 cm. Found in association with Heliofungia and Goniopora corals. N. Sulawesi pic on and on bottom of Fungiid.

Genus Laomenes: Commensal Crinoid Shrimp

Laomenes sp. Commensal Crinoid Shrimp. Bali 2014

Genus Leander:

Leander plumosus Bruce 1994. The Donald Duck Shrimp for its elongated rostrum.  S. Leyte 2013.

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Genus Periclimenes:

Periclimenes amboinensis (Man 1888). Banded body markings, variably colored parts may be yellow, brown, red, orange. Almost always found in association with crinoids (Featherstars). Western Pacific; Indonesia, Marshall Islands, Australia. N. & S. Sulawesi pix.

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Ancylocaris (Periclimenes) brevicarpalis (Schenkel 1902), the Pacific Clown Anemone Shrimp. Widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific. Males smaller than females, both under an inch in length. Should be kept with a Sea Cucumber or better, an Anemone host, like this one here in a Pizza Anemone off of Australia in Queensland, and a pair on a sponge in N. Sulawesi. Common in the wild within its range, easily kept. Accept all foods.
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Periclimenes colemani Bruce 1975. Found usually paired on Toxopneustid Sea Urchins. S. Leyte 2013.

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Periclimenes commensalis One of a few species of "Crinoid Shrimp" found in the tropical Indo-Pacific. To 1.8 cm. in length. N. Sulawesi (Lembeh Strait) pic.

Periclimenes holthuisi Bruce 1969, Holthuis' Cleaner Shrimp. Found in association with numerous types of stinging-celled life (anemones, corals, mushrooms, the upside-down Jellyfish, Cassiopeia...) (best not kept with Clownfishes though) that they should be purchased with. Eat detritus, any foods. Here on a Plerogyra Coral and with eggs on a Euphylliid Coral in Bunaken/Sulawesi/Indonesia, and a Heliofungia Plate Coral off of Queensland, Australia.  Indo-West Pacific; East Africa, Red Sea to South China Sea, Indonesia, New Caledonia. Some with red markings on abdomen as shown below.

Many more P. holthuisi Pix (click on the blue eh?).

Periclimenes imperator Bruce 1967.  Color variable (depending on host)... including Hexabranchus/Spanish Dancer, Sea Cucumbers: Stichopus, Bohadschia, Synapta), Sea Stars (Gomophia)... Indo-West Pacific; Red Sea, East Africa to Indonesia, Australia, Japan.  At right: on a biscuit star in S. Leyte 2013 Below: N. Sulawesi pix, on Cukes. Second row, on T-Bar Nudibranch, on a giant Melibe Nudibranch,

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To: Part 2, Part 3