Peacock-tail Anemone Shrimp

Ancylocaris brevicarpalis

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Palaemonidae
Genus: Ancylocaris
Species: Ancylocaris brevicarpalis

The peacock-tail anemone shrimp (Ancylocaris brevicarpalis) is a glassy anemone shrimp with white patches and a tail fan decorated with orange-ringed eyespots. It was long known as Periclimenes brevicarpalis before being placed in Ancylocaris.

Females reach about 2-3 cm and are much larger than males. The shrimp lives among the tentacles of sea anemones, especially carpet anemones, and is immune to their stings. It feeds on mucus and food scraps and sometimes cleans fish.

This is one of the most commonly seen anemone shrimps in the Philippines, often found in groups on carpet and other anemones on sandy slopes. Its eyespotted tail makes it a favourite photo subject.

Photo: Jim Moore (Maryland), CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist