Lebbeus grandimanus (Brazhnikov, 1907)

Common name(s): Candy stripe shrimp, Clown shrimp
Synonyms:  Lebbeus grandimana
Phylum Arthropoda
 Subphylum Crustacea
  Class Malacostraca
    Subclass Eumalacostraca
      Superorder Eucarida
       Order Decapoda
         Suborder Pleocyemata
          Infraorder Caridea
           Family Hippolytidae (broken-back shrimp) (now in family Thoridae)
Lebbeus grandimanus, about 2 cm long, found on an anemone at about 10 m depth near Northwest Island
(Photo by: Dave Cowles, August 2006)
Description:  As with other hippolytid shrimp, this species has no exopodites on its pereopods, the carpus of pereopod 2 is divided into 3-7 subunits (articles, a "multiarticulated carpus"), and a rostrum is present but if it has dorsal spines they are not movable.  Lebbeus grandimanus has 7 articles on the carpus of its 2nd pereopod.  It has one supraorbital spine.  It has no exopodite on maxilliped 3, the rostrum is longer than the eye, the pleura of abdominal segments 2 and 3 are rounded, and leg 3 has no epipodite.  The body is translucent and covered with bright yellow, blue, and red bands.  Length to 4.5 cm.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species:  The bright colored bands on this shrimp are distinctive.

Geographical Range:  Aleutian Islands, Alaska to Puget Sound

Depth Range:  6-180 m

Habitat:  Often lives on rocks in association with the anemone Cribrinopsis fernaldi, Urticina crassicornis, U. piscivora, or U. columbiana.  Most commonly associated with Cribrinopsis (photo).

Biology/Natural History:  Often lives on rocks in association with the above anemones, remaining on the base of the column or foraging around on the oral disk picking up scraps.  The shrimp seems immune to the anemone's nematocysts. They have been found in the guts of Pacific Halibut off Alaska.


 
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References:

Dichotomous Keys:
  Kozloff 1987, 1996
  Wicksten, 2009
 

General References:
  Gotshall, 1994
  Jensen, 1995
  O'Clair and O'Clair, 1998

Scientific Articles:
Stevens, Bradley G. and Paul J. Anderson, 1998  An association between the anemone, Cribrinopsis fernaldi, and shrimps of the families Hippolytidae and Pandalidae.  J. Northw. Atl. Fish. Sci. 27: 77-82

Web sites:
 


General Notes and Observations:  Locations, abundances, unusual behaviors:


This closeup of the anterior end shows the chelae.


Authors and Editors of Page:
Dave Cowles (2006):  Created original page