Yellow-spotted Anemone Shrimp

Ancylomenes luteomaculatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Family: Palaemonidae
Genus: Ancylomenes
Species: Ancylomenes luteomaculatus

The yellow-spotted anemone shrimp (Ancylomenes luteomaculatus) is a transparent anemone shrimp decorated with bright yellow and white spots. Its long, banded claws and clear body make it look almost like glass.

Described in 2010, it grows to about 2-3 cm and lives among the tentacles of sea anemones and sometimes other cnidarians. It is protected from stings and acts as a cleaner, picking parasites from visiting fish.

In the Philippines this shrimp is found on anemones on reefs and sandy slopes, where it can sometimes be seen waving its claws to attract fish to be cleaned.

Photo: Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist