ANIMAL: Peppermint Shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni Type of Animal: Lysmatid Shrimp Habitat: Coral reefs, coral formations, reef caves/crevices, rock areas, in/around tube/pipe sponges, coastal waters, found at 3-90 ft below sea level Location(s): Atlantic seaboard from Long Island to Florida & Gulf of Mexico. Also found in N Caribbean. Appearance: Pinkish/reddish translucent body w/ red to almost orange stripes, stripes resemble candy cane, long thin antennae Food/Diet: Aiptasia, leftover fish food, food debris, detritus, dead fish tissue, fish parasites, organic decomposed material, carrion, algae, snails Status in Wild: Stable Conservation: Captive breeding reducing demand for wild-caught animals Lifestyle: Small colonies of 4-5 shrimp, sometimes as many as 20 Additional Info: Called: Young: Nauplii/Zoea Group: Colony Gestation: 20 days Life Span: 2 years Body Length: Adult: 2 in Young: 0.3 in Main predators are puffers, wrasses, lionfish, large dottybacks, arrow crabs, banded coral shrimp, triggerfish, & hawkfish. In single spawning, shrimp will lay around 300 eggs, which are carried under abdomen. When eggs hatch, they hatch as larval nauplii then going into 2nd larval stage known as zoeae. After free-swimming zoea stage, they’re free-swimming until they settle at around 5-7 weeks. Maturity reached around this time. They can produce eggs every 10-12 days throughout their lifetime. Also called Candy Cane Shrimp, Caribbean Cleaner Shrimp, Veined Shrimp, & Western Atlantic Peppermint Shrimp. These shrimp lose color when stressed. Most active at night (nocturnal). Like other cleaner shrimp, they have mutualistic relationships w/ client organisms. Shrimp eat parasites/dead tissue from clients & clients benefit from parasite/dead tissue removal. These shrimp very common in aquarium trade. These shrimp can be very shy. They often stay hidden when molting because they’re more vulnerable at this time. These shrimp are often very cheap. To attract clients, they’ll perform side to side rocking dance. Most often molt at night. Fun Fact(s): These shrimp believed to be color blind. When divers’ hands near areas where these shrimp are, they’ll give them manicures. Like other members of genus Lysmata, these shrimp hatch as males but after a few molts they’re hermaphroditic functioning as both sexes-there’s no pure female form in any member of this genus. All adults are hermaphroditic. Many reef aquarists like these shrimp because they eat reef pests as well as clean the tank.
