The banded coral shrimp can be found in water as deep as 690 feet
This photo was taken during a dive off the southern coast of Oahu. I was actually doing my first dive ever in the Pacific Ocean. Despite the numerous times that I had been to the Pacific, I had never been diving. Because of that, I decided to have a divemaster come along as a guide for me. I intentionally asked him to point out as many of the small items as he could during the dive. I like to see the little things like nudibranchs, Christmas tree worms, sea hares, and more that are harder to come by then your typical fish.
He had been entertaining me pointing out a large octopus when suddenly I saw this shrimp hanging off the edge of an isolated pillar of coral. I stopped taking photos of the octopus momentarily to focus on this shrimp. I had no idea what species it was, but I was awestruck by the red and white bands on its legs, and its incredibly long antennae.
Once I arrived back home, I learned that this was a coral banded shrimp. Its scientific name is Stenopus hispidus. It goes by the other common names: banded boxer shrimp and banded cleaner shrimp. You can find this crustacean across the tropics. The banded coral shrimp can be found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. It has been seen as far north as Canada and as far south as Brazil within the Atlantic Ocean.
This species of crustacean will only grow to be about 60 millimeters, or 2.4 inches long. The banded coral shrimp has a transparent base color. Across its carapace, abdomen, and the third pereopod are banded white and red. It has white antennae, as well as the other periopods.
Cleaner shrimp dance with their long, white antennae
Did you know?
- Like many other invertebrates, the banded coral shrimp can identify other members of its species. This is likely done through some sort of chemical signal.
- The banded coral shrimp can be found in water as deep as 690 feet.
- Like other cleaner shrimp, they inform passing fish that they are there to clean by doing a slow “dance” with its long, white antennae. Once the fish arrive, they will feed and clean the fish.
- The Stenopodidae family of decapods is commonly known as the boxer shrimp family. There are more than 30 species found within this family.
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