Habitat 
Depth 
Group 
Role WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
This shrimp often measures around three and a half centimetres, although individuals may be smaller or considerably larger. Red lines edged with white run along the body, which also has dark cross-bands. The antennae are red, the eyes very dark and the rostrum, the projection from the head, remains short.
The pattern does not look identical at all hours. Chromatophores, cells containing pigments, alter its visibility. At night, lengthwise lines fade and cross-bands may dominate. Take this change into account before deciding that another species is present.
WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
It uses rocks and their cavities, often between four and sixty metres. By day, it stays in dark fissures, sometimes on walls or ceilings. It becomes more mobile at night.
Its range includes the Mediterranean and temperate eastern Atlantic. It may share shelter with a moray, conger or other fish. Proximity to a predator therefore does not automatically mean the shrimp is escaping or being hunted.
WHAT DOES IT EAT?
It removes external parasites and skin fragments from certain fish. This cleaning provides food while removing organisms present on the fish.
It also eats small animals and food remains. The diet is not restricted to parasites: a shrimp away from a fish may readily be searching for food. The action itself needs observing before claiming that cleaning is taking place.
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- Advanced navigation between description, ecological context, observations and behaviour
- Interactive food chain to explore the species’ feeding relationships
