Alpheus tricolor
A snapping shrimp named for its white, red and orange coloration.
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Alpheus tricolor is a species of snapping shrimp. It was first collected in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Its name comes from its distinctive white, red, and orange coloration.
Description
The shrimp has a carapace length of about 13.5 millimetres and a total length of 36 millimetres, with chelae measuring 16 millimetres. The carapace is smooth, with shallow grooves on the sides and erect setae on top. The pterygostomial angle is rounded, and the rostrum is well developed and pointed. The orbital hoods are swollen and lack teeth.
The eyes have small forward projections, and the antennular peduncles are stout. The antenna has a basicerite with a sharp ventrolateral tooth. The mouthparts are typical for the genus: the mandible has a two-jointed palp, an incisor process with about 12 teeth, and a stout molar process; the maxillula has a bilobed palp; the maxilla shows no notable features.
Each abdominal somite has conspicuous setae near its rear upper edge. The uropodal exopod has a strong lateral spine and a sinuous diaresis. The telson is broad and tapers toward the tip, with two pairs of dorsal spines set in deep pits, and many long setae between the lateral spines. The anal tubercles are well developed.
Coloration
The carapace is mostly yellow-orange, with three white patches on the sides. The rostrum is reddish-orange, and the orbital hoods are translucent. The antennal and antennular stalks are orange-red. The mouthparts are mostly colourless except for the reddish palp and caridean lobe of the first maxilliped.
Both chelipeds are orange-red, with a white patch on the merus and nearly white tips on the fingers. In younger shrimp, the fingers and the front parts of the palms are white. The abdominal segments are yellow-orange on top and deep red on the sides and underside. The tail fan is deep red with a broad white band across about half its length.
Behaviour
Based on aquarium observations, the shrimp is thought to spend most of its time in burrows and does not interact much with other species. This behaviour differs from that seen in Alpheus bellulus.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- CladePancrustacea
- ClassMalacostraca
- OrderDecapoda
- SuborderPleocyemata
- InfraorderCaridea
- FamilyAlpheidae
- GenusAlpheus
- SpeciesAlpheus tricolor
Named by Anker, 2001
Close relatives
Other species of Alpheus with a Codexery entry.
- Alpheus bellulus Alpheus bellulus
- Alpheus cedrici Alpheus cedrici
- Alpheus deuteropus Alpheus deuteropus
- Alpheus fasqueli Alpheus fasqueli
- Alpheus randalli Alpheus randalli
- Alpheus armatus Alpheus armatus
- Alpheus heterochaelis Alpheus heterochaelis
- Alpheus macrocheles
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Alpheus tricolor (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 514984 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.04 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Alpheus tricolor
Quick Facts
- Carapace length
- about 13.5 mm (0.53 in)
- Total length
- 36 mm (1.4 in)
- Chela length
- 16 mm (0.63 in)
- First isolated in
- Indonesia and Sri Lanka
Facts from the source article.
Background
Alpheus tricolor has a setose carapace, an acute rostrum, shallow adrostral furrows and a basicerite with a strong ventrolateral tooth. Its carapace is smooth, possessing shallow grooves latero-anteriorly and erect setae dorsally. The lamella of its scaphocerite is not reduced, with an anterior margin that is concave.
Its third maxilliped counts with an epipodial plate bearing thick setae, while its first chelipeds have a merus bearing a strong disto-mesial tooth. Its third pereiopod has an armed ischium, with a simple and conical dactylus. The telson is broad, distally tapering, with 2 pairs of dorsal spines in deep depressions.
The species' coloration is distinctive: the carapace is mostly yellow-orange with three white patches laterally; the rostrum is reddish-orange; the orbital hoods are translucent; the antennal and antennular peduncles are orange-red; the major and minor chelipeds are orange-red with a distal white patch on the merus and almost white tips on the fingers. The abdominal segments are dorsally yellow-orange and lateroventrally deep red, and the tail fan is deep red with a broad white band across its near half. In younger individuals, the fingers and distal portions of the palms are white.
Behaviourally, the shrimp is thought to spend most of its time in burrows and not interacting with other species, as observed with specimens in aquariums. This is different behaviour from that observed in Alpheus bellulus.
More in Pistol and Cleaner Shrimp
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Alpheus tricolor (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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