General Description

Ventral margin of orbit and suborbital angle unarmed. Antennal scale half as long as carapace. First and second legs (pereopods 1-2) similar, with long slender pectinate fingers (bearing rows of fine closely spaced spines along cutting edge). Last segment (dactylus) of first leg (pereopod 1) with 20-44 spines. Abdominal somite 5 with dorsal margin convex in lateral view, unarmed; abdominal somite 6 without dorsal lobe. Tail fan (telson) with 1 pair of dorsolateral spines set well posterior to pair of mesial spines. Carapace length up to 5 mm.

Biology

The Sydney Comb Shrimp lives on the seafloor from the subtidal down to about 400 m depth and is common across the entire southern Australian coast. The family Pasiphaeidae, to which this species belongs, is noted for the opposing rows of fine spine-like teeth on the fingers of the chelipeds. These would seem to make the shrimp a fierce predator but nothing is known of its behaviour.

Habitat

Subtidal, 16-400 m depth.

Reefs

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Indo-west Pacific, including Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Shrimps

Depth

Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

5 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Species Code

MoV 723

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Not listed
• EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
• IUCN Red List : Not listed