Clear cleaner shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Urocaridella antonbruunii, common names clear cleaner shrimp or red-white cleaner shrimp, is a species of shrimp belonging to the family Palaemonidae. It was described by A. J. Bruce in 1967. It is one of the species that are known as cleaner shrimps.
- Scientific name
- Urocaridella antonbruunii
- Authority
- (Bruce, 1967)
- Family
- Palaemonidae
- Order
- Decapoda
- Depth range
- 2–66 m
- Habitat zone
- benthic
- Gbif occurrence records
- 157
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Arthropoda · Class: Malacostraca · Order: Decapoda · Family: Palaemonidae · Genus: Urocaridella.
Accepted name: Urocaridella antonbruunii · Authority: (Bruce, 1967) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 220201.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Leandrites longipes Liu, Liang & Yan, 1990; Periclimenes antonbruunii Bruce, 1967.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=220201 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Urocaridella antonbruunii. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 2–66 m · Habitat zone: benthic.
SeaLifeBase notes: Also found on a patch reef down to 8 m in depth (Ref. 76540).
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 20760) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Urocaridella-antonbruunii.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
157 georeferenced occurrence records for Urocaridella antonbruunii are published through GBIF from 26 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 62 distinct locations from a sample of 157 records, omitting 15 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Australia (28); Indonesia (28); Maldives (12); Philippines (12); Papua New Guinea (11); Réunion (11); New Caledonia (8); Mayotte (8); French Polynesia (6); Fiji (5); Saudi Arabia (4); United States of America (4); Malaysia (3); Singapore (3); India (2).
Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Seychellois Exclusive Economic Zone; Comoran Exclusive Economic Zone; Kenyan Exclusive Economic Zone; Red Sea; Pacific Ocean; Mayotte Disputed area: France / Comoros; New Caledonian Exclusive Economic Zone; Réunion Exclusive Economic Zone; Levantine Sea.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2225230) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2225230&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=220201 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
This species has a wide distribution throughout the Western Central Indo-Pacific, from Maldives to Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Papua-New Guinea up to Fiji and Hawaii These shrimps occur in tropical shallow waters in coral reef environment, at depths of 2 to 66 m, where they can found their preferred hosts.
Urocaridella antonbruunii can reach a body length of about 25 - 30 mm. Like the other species of the genus Urocaridella, have very long rostrums curved upwards, transparent bodies, and numerous brightly-coloured red and yellow spots on the carapace and abdomen. Internal organs clearly visible. The translucency provides an effective form of camouflage. The abdomen forms a characteristic right angle where there is a red spot preceded by a white spot. The antennae are long and transparent, but are not white, as is the case in many species of cleaning shrimp. The pereiopods (swimming legs) are banded in red and white. The pleopods under the abdomen are beaten rapidly to move the shrimp towards the client fish, making the shrimp appear to hover.
Urocaridella antonbruunii is gonochoric. Commonly these shrimps perform a precopulatory courtship ritual. They are cleaner shrimps, because of their habit of removing external parasites from client fish. This is the first shrimp reported cleaning sleeping rabbitfish Siganus canaliculatus at night.
These shrimps also exhibit stereotypical behaviour to attract their clients. They position themselves in a conspicuous location near their cleaning station when a potential client is nearby. They feed on parasites and mucus that they find on the host during the cleaning sessions but also capture copepods, small microorganisms and debris on the bottom.
Source: Wikipedia: Urocaridella antonbruunii — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urocaridella_antonbruunii (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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