Bumblebee prawns
| Bumblebee prawns | ||||||||||||
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Spotted bumblebee shrimp ( Gnathophyllum elegans ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Gnathophyllidae | ||||||||||||
| Dana , 1852 |
The bumblebee shrimp (Gnathophyllidae) are a family of crustaceans. This family includes 4 genera, with about 7 species. The bumblebee shrimp live in tropical and subtropical seas.
In German, a freshwater shrimp of the genus Caridina is also known as a bumblebee shrimp (or zebra dwarf shrimp), for more information on these freshwater shrimp see Bumblebee shrimp .
description
The bumblebee shrimp family includes small, often conspicuously marked shrimp. Their stripe or dot patterns visually dissolve the body shape and thus help camouflage the animals.
Bumblebee shrimp, like harlequin shrimp, also specialize in echinoderms as food. They mainly eat the suckers' feet of sea urchins and starfish .
Bumblebee shrimp are also kept in aquariums because of their beautiful color, but are not easy to feed there because of their special feed requirements. However, some species will soon adopt substitute foods.
Systematics
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Gnathophylloides Schmitt, 1933
- Gnathophylloides mineri Schmitt, 1933
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Gnathophyllum Latreille, 1819
- Gnathophyllum americanum Guérin-Méneville , 1855
- Gnathophyllum circellus Manning, 1963
- Gnathophyllum modestum Hay, 1917
- Gnathophyllum precipuum Titgen, 1989
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Levicaris Bruce, 1973
- Levicaris mammilata Edmondson, 1931
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Pycnocaris Bruce, 1972
- Pycnocaris chagoae Bruce, 1972
Web links
- Striped bumblebee shrimp (with picture)