PORT PHILLIP BAY


Hairy Snapping Shrimp 

Alpheus villosus (Olivier, 1811)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Entire body covered with short stiff setae interspersed with longer ones. Rostrum about twice as long as broad at base, carinate and with mid-dorsal tooth behind eyes, separated from orbital hoods by broad grooves; orbital hoods with small triangular teeth overhanging margin, one-quarter as long as rostrum; rostrum-hood margins with intermediate minute tooth. Large chela covered with long stiff setae, especially distally and medially; round in section; lower margin not concave; upper margin convex; without strong acute lateral and medial teeth near dactylar articulation; propodus with weak longitudinal ridges plus small tubercles. Smaller cheliped with fingers simple, not of balaeniceps form. Pereopods 1?4 with epipods. Pleuron of abdominal somite 6 without an articulating posterior triangular plate.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (2004) Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia. A guide to identification (with chapter on Stomatopoda by Shane Ahyong). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 574 pp.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Eucarida
Order:
Decapoda
Suborder:
Pleocyemata
Infraorder:
Caridea
Family:
Alpheidae
Genus:
Alpheus
Species:
villosus

General Description

Body and claws orange, covered with short hairs. One claw larger than the other. Up to 7 cm long (head to tail tip).

Biology

Hairy Snapping Shrimps use the fingers at the end of their larger claw to make a loud click sound to stun prey. Little else is known of their biology despite them being a common species. They belong to the most diverse group of shrimps in southern Australia with almost 50 species known.

Habitat

Under stones and corals, to depth of 45 m.

Reefs

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Shrimps

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

7 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1672

Conservation Status

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

Author

article author Taylor, J.

Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Poore, G.C.B.

Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Hairy Snapping Shrimp, Alpheus villosus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 20 May 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/3841

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