Leafy Hairy Shrimp

Phycocaris sp.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Hippolytidae
Genus: Phycocaris
Species: Phycocaris sp.

The leafy hairy shrimp (Phycocaris sp.) is a tiny hairy shrimp with leaf-like flaps that make it resemble a scrap of seaweed. Its colour usually matches the algae it lives on.

It is only a few millimetres long and has not been formally described. It clings to algae and rubble, swaying with the water so that it looks like a piece of drifting weed, and feeds on tiny particles.

In the Philippines it is found among algae on sand and rubble slopes, and spotting one takes patience and very sharp eyes.