General Description

Carapace extremely laterally compressed, elongated anterior to legs (pereopods) and mandibles. Claws (chelae) on legs (pereopods) lacking or imperfect. Pereopods 4 and 5 absent, gills absent. Abdominal somite 6 of male with 2 ventral processes. Tail fan (telson) of male with strong ventral process, first ventral process on abdominal somite 6 short, thick, closer to second larger triangular spine than to anterior margin of somite. Up to 1 cm long.

Biology

These tiny prawns appear in plankton and benthic samples from soft sediments, sometimes in large numbers. Their elongate shape, long neck, and dominant eyes make them immediately recognisable. Ghost prawns are difficult to recognise as dendrobranchiate prawns because they lack gills but they do have a reproductive system similar to their larger cousins.

Habitat

Plankton and near the sea-floor of the shelf and bays, 2?43 metres.

Open water

Reefs

Distribution guide

Indo-west Pacific Oceans (Madagascar, Red Sea, India, South China Sea).

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Prawns

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

1 cm

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

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