General Description

Rostrum prominent, broad at base, without dorsal teeth and with 2-6 ventral teeth. Carapace with small spine above orbit of eye. Fifth segment of second leg with 3 articles. Legs without gills (arthrobranchs). Abdominal somite 6 without articulating posterolateral corner. Up to 2.5 cm long.

Biology

The Weed Shrimp is common but its coloration is an effective disguise. The colour varies depending upon the seaweed on which it lives; solidly bright green on green algae and deep red on red algae. They are probably algal browsers freely moving among their habitat. They usually walk on their legs but can use the strong muscular abdomen and tail fan combined to reverse the shrimp quickly out of danger. This behaviour is common to most caridean shrimps.

Habitat

Subtidal to 124 m depth.

Soft substrates

Seagrass meadows

Reefs

Distribution guide

Southern temperate oceans, including southern Australia.

Species Group

Prawns, shrimps, lobsters › Shrimps

Depth

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

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

25 mm

Diet

Organic matter

Harmful

Small claws but unlikely to nip.

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Species Code

MoV 1674

Conservation Status

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