PORT PHILLIP BAY


Southern Sand Shrimp 

Philocheras obliquus (Fulton & Grant, 1902)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Rostrum simple, basally depressed. Carapace about half length of abdomen, middorsal ridge with anterior and posterior halves, each defined anteriorly by tooth. Submedian spine strong and oblique. Dorsolateral ridge unarmed. Hepatic spine present. Lateral ridge without spines. Gills (pleurobranchs) ventrally directed posteriorly. Pereopod 1 subchelate, without exopod. Pereopod 2 chelate, much shorter than other pereopods. Third and fourth abdominal somites rounded dorsally.

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:
Crangonidae
Genus:
Philocheras
Species:
obliquus

General Description

Middorsal ridge with anterior and posterior halves, each defined anteriorly by tooth. Submedian spine strong and oblique. Dorsolateral ridge unarmed. Hepatic spine present. Lateral ridge without spines. First leg subchelate (flat short claws ending in a finger fitting across an oblique palm); second legs much shorter than other legs. Third and fourth abdominal somites rounded dorsally. Up to 2.5 cm long.

Biology

Sand shrimps differ from all other caridean shrimps in having flat short chelipeds ending in a finger fitting across an oblique palm (rather than having two extended opposing fingers). All sand shrimps live on sandy sediments offshore but are so well disguised that they are rarely seen.

Habitat

Subtidal and shelf sediments, 0-18 m depth, rare.

Soft substrates

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including south-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Shrimps

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

25 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1871

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, Southern Sand Shrimp, Philocheras obliquus, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 09 Oct 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5512

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