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PEARL
OYSTER SHRIMP
Conchodytes meleagrinae Peters, 1852
Shine your dive light into a Blacklipped Pearl Oyster,
and quickly, before it closes its valves, you just might catch a glimpse
of one of these fat little commensal shrimps. They live inside these
oysters, probably never leaving their host. Although I mentioned this
shrimp in my book in the pearl oyster writeup, I misspelled the scientific
name as Conchodytes meleagris. This will be corrected in the
next printing. The American Fisheries Society has given it the official
common name "Hawaiian pearloyster shrimp," which makes little
sense because the species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific. David
Fleetham grabbed this rare photo off Kaanapali, Maui, at a depth of
40 ft. Visit Dave's website at http://davidfleetham.com/
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BARRED
WIRE CORAL SHRIMP
Pontonides ankeri Marin, 2007
It's official - the Barred Wire Coral Shrimp, previously
"Pontonides sp. 1" in my book, has a new scientific
name. Russian zoologist Ivan Marin described P. ankeri in 2007
from a number of Indo-Pacific specimens, but he lacked Hawaiian material
to examine. The identity of the Hawaiian shrimp was thus left in doubt.
In February 2010 I sent him a specimen from South Point, Hawai`i and
he confirmed that it is the same species. The name ankeri honors
his friend and colleague, Arthur Anker, who specializes in snapping
shrimps.
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FLATTENED CORAL
SHRIMP
Haripiliopsis depressa (Stimpson
1860)
Subfamily Pontoniinae
Actually, this shrimp appears in Hawaii's
Sea Creatures on p. 223, but this is a much better photo. It lives
in Cauliflower Coral (Pocillopora meandrina). The photo was
taken at Ho`okena, Hawai`i at a depth of about 35 ft.
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Urocaridella
sp.
Subfamily Palaemoninae
According to Dr. Junji Okuno, an expert
on shrimps of the genus Urocaridella, this species has not
yet been named or described. It occurs from Hawai`i to the Western
Indian Ocean and is similar in appearance and habits to the Clear
Cleaner Shrimp Urocaridella antonbrunii on p 222. of Hawaii's
Sea Creatures. I photographed it during the summer of 2005 at Makua,
O`ahu, at a depth of about 45 ft. The eel is a Yellowmargin Moray,
Gymnothorax flavimarginatus.
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Exocliminella
maldivensis Duris & Bruce, 1995.
Subfamily Palaemoninae
Mike Roberts photographed this beautiful little shrimp off Maui,
at a depth of about 40 ft.. The ID was confirmed by Dr. Junji Okuno
in Japan. Mike's photo is the first I know of from Hawai`i, though
the shrimp appears to occur throughout much of the tropical Indo-Pacific.
Mike says that the bright colors, esp. the blue, help him find these
shrimps, which are very secretive and live in rubble. The first
Hawaiian record of this species was made by researchers from the
Bishop Museum, who collected it on the Atlantis wreck off Waikiki
in 2001.
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Cuapetes
grandis ? (Stimpson,
1860)
Subfamily Palaemoninae
Katie Samuelson photographed this shrimp at
Pupukea, O`ahu, (Sharks Cove) at 15 ft. I subsequently collected a
specimen that looked much like it and sent it to Dr. Alexander Bruce,
at the Queensland Museum. He identified my specimen as Cuapetes
grandis (formerly Kemponia grandis or Periclimenes grandis),
which has been recorded from Hawaii a number of times. However, the
shrimp in Katie's photos could also be C. elegans (also recorded
from Hawaii). Dr. Bruce would have to examine a specimen to be sure.
Mike Roberts photographed what appears to be the same species at Ulua
Beach, Maui, (see below). The white line between the eyes is distinctive
of this group. |
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Cuapetes
grandis? - photos above and below copyright 2007 by Mike
Roberts

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