[Originally posted to the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (MCR LTER) Marine Life Encyclopedia]
Seastar Shrimp
(Periclimenes
soror)
Photo by Gerick Bergsma
Seastar shrimp, as their name implies,
live on various species of seastars, including pincushion stars
(pictured), linkia seastars, crown-of-thorns seastars, and others.
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Throughout the Indo-Pacific |
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Reef slopes, reef flats and lagoons; wherever host seastars are present |
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The feeding ecology of Seastar Shrimp is poorly known. It is thought that they eat detritus and scraps from their host's feeding activities. They may also consume ectoparasites from their host. |
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Seastar shrimp live their entire lives on seastars, often living in small family groups. They frequently seek refuge among their hosts' spines, or by nestling in the grooves running along the bottom of a seastar's arms. Their color varies, matching the color of their host seastars, and may be predominantly blue, red or white, often with a white or cream colored band running down their back. |
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Coming Soon
- Moorea Biocode Database |
