Harlequin Shrimp
Hymenocera picta
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Subphylum
- Crustacea
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Order
- Decapoda
- Family
- Palaemonidae
- Genus
- Hymenocera
- Species
- Hymenocera picta
The harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) is a spectacular shrimp with a white body, pink or purple spots and huge, flattened claws, which feeds only on sea stars. Its paddle-like claws and petal-shaped antennae make it one of the most beautiful shrimps on the reef.
It grows to about 5 cm and usually lives in pairs. Working together, the pair flips a sea star over and slowly eats its tube feet and soft tissue, sometimes keeping the star alive for days. They hide in crevices and under ledges.
In the Philippines the harlequin shrimp is a top find for macro divers, usually spotted in pairs under rocks or coral rubble, sometimes with a sea star nearby.