Alpheus armatus
| Alpheus armatus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Caridea |
| Family: | Alpheidae |
| Genus: | Alpheus |
| Species: | A. armatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Alpheus armatus | |
Alpheus armatus is a species of snapping shrimp in the family Alpheidae, found in shallow water in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.[1] It is an obligate symbiont of a sea anemone, commonly Bartholomea annulata.[2]
Description
Alpheus armatus is a moderate-sized shrimp, growing to a length of 2 to 5 cm (0.8 to 2.0 in). The antennae are white with dark bands, and the body is brown, orange or red, spotted with white. One of the front pair of legs bears an enormous pincer, used as a hunting and deterrent weapon, which is capable of producing a loud "click".[3]
Distribution and habitat
Alpheus armatus occurs in the tropical and subtropical western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, usually at depths greater than 10 m (33 ft). The very similar Alpheus immaculatus, with which A. armatus forms a species complex, mostly occurs between 13 and 25 m (43 and 82 ft). Both shrimps live in association with a sea anemone, usually Bartholomea annulata, which inhabits caves, overhangs and crevices, as well as coral rubble. Where the sea anemone lives close to a sandy seabed or in turbulent locations, it is more likely to have one or a pair of symbiotic shrimps living in association with it.[2]
References
- ^ a b De Grave, Sammy (2021). "Alpheus armatus Rathbun, 1901". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ a b Pérez-Botello, Antar Mijail; Mascaró, Maite; Simoes, Nuno (2021). "The Importance of Home Cleaning: Sediment Transport by Alpheid Shrimps Provides a Competitive Advantage to Their Host Anemones". Frontiers in Marine Science. 8 (May): 1–14. doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.677024.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link) - ^ Goyeau, Alain; Prouzet, Anne; Oms, Robert (15 February 2021). "Alpheus armatus Rathbun, 1901" (in French). DORIS. Retrieved 21 June 2021.