Spotted cleaner shrimp
A Caribbean cleaner shrimp that lives among sea anemone tentacles.
The spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) is a common cleaner shrimp found in the Caribbean Sea. It dwells among the tentacles of various sea anemones, attracting fish by swaying its body and waving its antennae, then feeding on dead tissue, algae, and parasites from those fish.
This shrimp reaches about 2.5 cm (1 inch) in length. Its transparent body is marked with brown and white saddle-like patterns, while its claws and legs feature bold red, purple, and white stripes. It has two pairs of long white antennae with black bands.
The species occurs at depths up to about 24 meters (79 feet) across the Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, the Bahamas, and as far south as Colombia.
Breeding happens in summer, with females brooding eggs under their abdomens in July and August. After hatching, larvae go through several planktonic stages before settling on the seabed and metamorphosing into adults.
The shrimp lives closely with sea anemones such as *Condylactis gigantea*, *Lebrunia danae*, *Bartholomea lucida*, or *Bartholomea annulata*. Up to six individuals may inhabit a single anemone. It waves its antennae to attract passing reef fish; when a fish poses motionless beside the anemone, the shrimp emerges from the tentacles to remove and eat external parasites and loose skin flakes. It even enters fish mouths and cleans behind gill covers without being eaten. In the US Virgin Islands, it has also been found with the anemone *Rhodactis sanctithomae*—a previously unrecognized symbiont—and on the tentacles of the jellyfish *Cassiopea*.
Quick Facts
- Taxon
- Periclimenes yucatanicus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The spotted cleaner shrimp has a transparent body patterned with brown and white saddle-shaped markings. Its chelae and legs are boldly striped in red, purple, and white, and it has two pairs of long white antennae banded in black. It grows to a length of about 2.5 cm (1 in).
This shrimp is found at depths down to about 24 metres (79 ft) in the Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, the Bahamas, and as far south as Colombia. Breeding takes place in the summer, and females have been seen brooding eggs under their abdomens in July and August. After hatching, the larvae pass through several planktonic larval stages before settling on the seabed and undergoing metamorphosis into the adult form.
The spotted cleaner shrimp lives in close association with a sea anemone, either Condylactis gigantea, Lebrunia danae, Bartholomea lucida, or Bartholomea annulata. It lives among the tentacles, and up to six individual shrimps have been seen on one sea anemone. It swishes its antennae around in the water to attract the attention of passing reef fish. When they pose motionless beside the anemone, it emerges from the tentacles and removes and feeds on external parasites and flakes of loose skin from the fish. It even enters the mouths of fishes and cleans behind their gill covers apparently with no likelihood that it will get eaten. It has also been found associated with the sea anemone Rhodactis sanctithomae in the US Virgin Islands, a species of anemone not previously recognised as a symbiont species. Also in the Virgin Islands, it has been seen on the tentacles of the jellyfish Cassiopea.
Reader's Guide
The spotted cleaner shrimp is notable for its symbiotic relationship with sea anemones and its role as a cleaner in Caribbean reef ecosystems. It lives among the tentacles of several anemone species, including Condylactis gigantea, Lebrunia danae, Bartholomea lucida, and Bartholomea annulata, with up to six individuals observed on a single anemone. By swaying its body and waving its antennae, it attracts reef fish and then removes external parasites, dead tissue, and algae from the fish, even entering their mouths and cleaning behind gill covers without being eaten. This behavior highlights its ecological significance in maintaining fish health. The shrimp has also been documented associating with the sea anemone Rhodactis sanctithomae in the US Virgin Islands, a species not previously recognized as a symbiont, and with the jellyfish Cassiopea in the same region. Its distribution spans the Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, the Bahamas, and as far south as Colombia, at depths down to about 24 metres (79 ft). The species breeds in summer, with females brooding eggs in July and August, and its larvae undergo several planktonic stages before metamorphosis.
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