Alpheus macrocheles
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Caridea
Family: Alpheidae
Genus: Alpheus
Species:
A. macrocheles
Binomial name
Alpheus macrocheles
(Hailstone, 1835)

Alpheus macrocheles, also known as the orange European snapping prawn, is a species of snapping shrimp within the family Alpheidae.[1]

Description

Alpheus macrocheles grow up to 35 mm long[2] and have a cheliped morphology.[3] The chela is highly twisted and compressed, and the dactylar articulation deviates from the perpendicular plane to the dorsal margin.[3] There is often distinct grooves on the chela's lateral face.[3] Most individuals of this species are bright orange, however yellow individuals also exist.[2] Like other species within the genus Alpheus the claws of Alpheus macrocheles are asymmetrical, with one of the claws being larger than the other.[4] The larger claw is used for hunting small prey animals and self defence against predators and their own species.[2]

Distribution

Alpheus macrocheles can be found within the English Channel along the South coast of England[2] and France.[5] It has also been documented in the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean on both sides, and even in waters around Ascension Island in the Central Atlantic.[3] It has been recorded to also live off the coast of Spain, Portugal, Greece[5] and the Azores Archipelago.[3]

Habitat

Alpheus macrocheles is a marine species.[3] It can be found living underwater in fissures and hollows underneath rocks and boulders.[2] They generally favour larger boulders on the lower shoreline.[2] The oceans current pushes sediment such as sand into the hollow, which allows A. macrocheles to excavate tunnels.[2] Tunnels are usually shared by a breeding pair and possess two entrances, with each entrance being guarded by an individual shrimp.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Alpheus macrocheles (Hailstone, 1835)". World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hatcher, Julie; Trewhella, Steve (2019). The Essential Guide to Rockpooling. Wild Nature Press LTD. p. 141. ISBN 9780691232430.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Soledade, Guidomar & Terossi, Mariana & Scioli, Justin & Mantelatto, Fernando & Almeida, Alexandre. (2019). A new western Atlantic snapping shrimp of the Alpheus macrocheles group (Caridea, Alpheidae) revealed by morphological, molecular and color data. European Journal of Taxonomy. 10.5852/ejt.2019.581.
  4. ↑ Patricia Cooney and others, Autotomy and recovery in the snapping shrimp, Alpheus angulosus McClure, 2002 (Caridea: Alpheidae), Journal of Crustacean Biology, Volume 37, Issue 6, November 2017, Pages 701–708, doi:10.1093/jcbiol/rux082
  5. 1 2 "OCCURRENCES Alpheus macrocheles (Hailstone, 1835)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2023-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
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