Blue monster fan shrimp
| Blue monster fan shrimp | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue monster fan shrimp ( Atya gabonensis ) |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Atya gabonensis | ||||||||||||
| Gable , 1875 |
The blue monster fan shrimp ( Atya gabonensis ), also called the Gabon giant fan shrimp, is a large, peaceful fan shrimp from the genus of the giant fan shrimp ( Atya ) within the freshwater shrimp (Atyidae).
features
The species reaches a length of approx. 14 cm. Females have larger ventral shields at the beginning of the abdomen than males; in addition, the claws of the females are not quite as big as those of the males. The color varies from whitish, light blue to reddish brown to a strong blue. The type of coloration seems to be mainly dependent on the color of the substrate. The shrimp are most strongly colored blue on a dark ground. With each moult, the color is adjusted closer to the existing substrate. With its strong third striding legs, the shrimp is able to cling to the ground in the strongest current. The extremely enlarged third stride legs of male animals and the wrinkled, furrowed surface of the carapace , together with the body size (adult animals can reach a length of 14 cm), have led to the common German name “Monstergarnele”. The sinister appearance of the shrimp is only surpassed within the Atyidae family by the closely related species Atya crassa . In this species the folds of the carapace still bear rows of strong thorns. In the genus Atya , these two animals represent the most developed species. In aquarium keeping , they do not pose any danger to other inhabitants. Like other species of the genus, the blue monster fan shrimp shows an interesting color change as it grows. Often bluish in color as young animals, older animals often change to brownish tones.
Way of life
Like all fan shrimp, the blue monster fan shrimp has long bristles on the first two pairs of striding legs, which are used to filter plankton . In the active state, they are unfolded like a fan, held in the current and pulled together at regular intervals and stripped out under the body. The filtered out microorganisms are absorbed by the shrimp. The delicate bristle apparatus is often cleaned and tidied up.
distribution
The blue monster fan shrimp is common on both sides of the Atlantic . As the name " Gabon -" suggests, Atya gabonensis also lives on the West African coast. The distribution areas of this species go south from Senegal to the Congo and on the east coast of South America from Venezuela to Brazil . Like other fan shrimp, the animals inhabit rocky, stony streams up to the source region.
Multiplication
The shrimp spawn in the fresh water of flowing water. After the larvae hatch, the currents drive them into the estuary area of the rivers so that the larvae can get into the sea or brackish water that is necessary for their further development. The developed juveniles then migrate back up the river into the freshwater habitats of their species. In aquariums, it is only possible to attract offspring with great effort. Although the female animals usually set eggs, the shrimp larvae that hatch from them cannot develop due to a lack of brackish or sea water.
Web links
- Atya gabonensis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: De Grave, S. & Mantellato, F., 2012. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
literature
- HH Hobbs & CW Hart: The shrimp genus Atya (Decapoda: Atyidae) . Smithsonian contributions to zoology, 1982, no. 364.