Sometimes, when it’s quiet while I’m stationed at MOTE’s Contact Cove, I like to show guests (especially older kids who have a bit more patience and ability to hold still for a length of time) a fun way to interact with the peppermint shrimp. I usually start by asking if they would like to get a “shrimp manicure”? If people are game, I show them how to place their hand in the enclosure and tell them to hold very still and wait.
Usually, if everyone nearby is also holding still, it only takes a few moments for the shrimp to start peeking out from under their rocks and hiding places. Another minute or so later, there will be two or even three shrimps crawling all over fingers busily cleaning away. I have to warn, of course that it will definitely tickle and they will probably feel a very small, light pinch (the shrimp are too small to hurt you).
Peppermint shrimp are named for their similarity in coloring and markings to a peppermint candy. Although there are several species often called “peppermint shrimp” within the Lysmata Genus, I am reasonably confident the shrimp in this video are Lysmata ankeri. Peppermint shrimp are relatively small shrimp – growing only to about 2.8 inches. Most species are native to the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico though there are a few that are native to northern Indo-West Pacific with some debate and ongoing phylogenetic research into specie subdivisions and native ranges (Aguilar et. al 2022).
Peppermint shrimp play a role in cleaning stations though they are more facultative (occurring optionally in response to circumstances rather than by nature) cleaners unlike the specialized cleaner shrimp who have specific symbiotic relationships with other marine organisms. In the wild (and in my video), peppermint shrimp can be observed engaging in cleaning behaviors, where they remove parasites, dead tissue, and other debris from fish and other marine life. Peppermint shrimp may not engage in as much direct interaction with fish for parasite removal as cleaner shrimp would, but they still contribute significantly to the cleanliness and health of the ecosystem through their scavenging and detritus removal activities.
Sources:
- Humann, P., DeLoach, N., & Wilk, L. (2013). Reef creature identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. 3rd edition.
- Robert Aguilar, Sanjeevi Prakash, Matthew B Ogburn, Katrina M Pagenkopp Lohan, Kenneth S MacDonald, Amy C Driskell, Shane T Ahyong, Matthieu Leray, Shelby E McIlroy, Troy D Tuckey, J Antonio Baeza, Unresolved taxonomy confounds invasive species identification: the Lysmata vittata Stimpson, 1860 (Decapoda: Caridea: Lysmatidae) species complex and recent introduction of Lysmata vittata sensu stricto in the western Atlantic, Journal of Crustacean Biology, Volume 42, Issue 1, March 2022, ruab079, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/ruab079
- Lysmata. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysmata
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysmata_wurdemanni
Erica Lauer Vose 