Did someone say Australian native shrimp aren't as colourful as exotics?

[fishmosy]

 

[KeenShrimp]

Awesome Ben, is the blue a stress response, or do the shrimp look like that?- what type are the blue ones? Where does one find those?

[fishmosy]

The blue is likely a stress response as this video was taken not long after the shrimp were caught. The blues are Caridina serratirostris which I've taken to calling ninjas. They come from far north QLD. They are different to the similar looking shrimp from Northern Territory - which I call chameleons (currently called Caridina sp. WA4, and awaiting formal scientific description). Chameleons are more likely to be more widespread in the hobby given they are bred and sold commercially. I'm only aware of a couple of people who have the ninjas. 

Edited July 27, 2016 by fishmosy

[zn30]

Gotta like that, they look great. When you say chameleons and ninjas is that because of the stripe on the back?

[KeenShrimp]

@fishmosy, is the serratirostris also colour-changing then like the chameleons? The photos on Google look pretty uniform in patternation, so I am just curious as to whether they will have the brown and cream colour zebra stripes as standard?

[fishmosy]

1 hour ago, zn30 said:

Gotta like that, they look great. When you say chameleons and ninjas is that because of the stripe on the back?

 

27 minutes ago, KeenShrimp said:

@fishmosy, is the serratirostris also colour-changing then like the chameleons? The photos on Google look pretty uniform in patternation, so I am just curious as to whether they will have the brown and cream colour zebra stripes as standard?

 

serratirostris is a colour changer - like chameleons. They do not always have the black and white stripes (although that is my favourite pattern), but can be red, blue, orange, brown and black. Also seen them go basically transparent when they are really stressed. 

[kizshrimp]

Just a clarification here mate, while you're calling these serratirostris they're almost certainly not that asian species but another undescribed endemic? Perhaps "aff serratirostris" or "sp QLD Ninja" would be more appropriate as a temporary name to avoid confusing readers. 

Hope you get some DNA results back soon. 

[fishmosy]

Our current understanding is that it is the same species as found throughout the Pacific -based on morphology. This is not surprising given they have larvae that develop in brackish or saltwater, and should therefore be quite easily transported between islands through the Pacific. However I'm recently started a project collaborating with shrimp taxonomists in France, looking at the genetic linkages amongst this and other widespread species. Similar projects on other animals in the past have demonstrated that one widespread species can be a complex of closely related species. So it's entirely possible the Aussie ninja is a different species to those found elsewhere in the Pacific. I will keep everyone updated as the results come in. 

[Baccus]

It will be very interesting to find out the true name/ species of the QLD colour changing shrimp largely because it strikes me as strange that the Chameleon Shrimp (C. sp WA 4) are fresh water breeders while the QLD equivalent apparently does not. To my mind the NT (well the northern coastal parts at least) are closer to Asia than most of QLD is and to my mind you would think that the breeding habits would be the other way around. It seems the same is true for the Red Nosed Shrimp, with the NT species ( C.sp Gulf 1) being campable of breeding in fresh water while the QLD species ( C. gracilirostris aka Needlenose Shrimp) is not capable of this ability.

I would dearly love more morphology to be done on our "glass" shrimp because I have caught all sorts of colours ranging from plain to DAS type markings to blacks and blues with solid stripes down their backs. Sadly they never keep the colour for long once caught and then tend to look like typical glass shrimp and when trying to identify them too many people trot out the good old catch all phrase " their glass shrimp" and then wipe their hands of any more information.

As much as I like some of the overseas shrimp and bemoan the fact that there are so many I will never keep, I still believe that in Australia we are sitting on a wealth of potential aquarium shrimp that could make the rest of the world drool

[fishmosy]

your observations on the breeding habits of the shrimps are spot on - except that the ability of shrimp to breed in freshwater limits their ability to disperse. For Shrimp that have larvae that go to saltwater, the shrimp can be swept out to sea where ocean currents can potentially carry the larvae anywhere (obviously currents tend to flow in the same direction continuously, but you get my point). The second point is that there are several currents that travel to the east coast of QLD down from New Guinea and the Pacific. In comparison, the gulf of carpentaria has few currents, if any. So yes, although NT may be close to other Pacific Islands, it's actually harder for species to travel across. Hence why there are many endemic aquatic species (aka found nowhere else) in the Territory, and species on the east coast of QLD that are found through-out the Pacific. 

[Dave]

There are plenty of Australian Shrimps not found by hobbyists yet.  There are a whole pile of undescribed and different shrimps on the Arhem Land and Kakadu Escarpment

 

CAAB Search

28 756976 .. Leptopalaemon spp. .. Kakadu shrimps
28 756276 .. Leptopalaemon gagadjui .. common Kakadu shrimp
28 756279 .. Leptopalaemon gibbosus .. humped Kakadu shrimp
28 756277 .. Leptopalaemon glabrus .. smooth Kakadu shrimp

Parent Codes (if any):
   28 708000 .. Order Decapoda - undifferentiated .. decapod crustaceans

Child Codes (if any):
   28 736901 .. Australatya spp.

28 736005 .. Australatya striolata .. [a carid shrimp]

 

 

   28 736902 .. Caridina spp. .. [a shrimp]

28 736027 .. Caridina brachydactyla .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736006 .. Caridina celebensis .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736001 .. Caridina confusa .. false zebra shrimp
   28 736007 .. Caridina gracilirostris .. slender-beaked caridina
   28 736008 .. Caridina indistincta indistincta .. indistinct caridina
   28 736009 .. Caridina indistincta sobrina .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736011 .. Caridina nilotica .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736010 .. Caridina peninsularis .. McCulloch's caridina
   28 736028 .. Caridina riverstoni .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736012 .. Caridina serratirostris .. spiny-beaked caridina
   28 736026 .. Caridina simoni .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736013 .. Caridina spelunca .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736002 .. Caridina spinula .. McIlwraith Range caridina
   28 736014 .. Caridina thermopila .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736003 .. Caridina typus .. typical caridina
   28 736015 .. Caridina wilkinsi .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736004 .. Caridina zebra .. zebra shrimp 
   28 736904 .. Paratya spp. 28 736016 .. Paratya australiensis .. Australian paratya
   28 736017 .. Paratya howensis .. Lord Howe Island paratya
   28 736018 .. Paratya norfolkensis .. Norfolk Island paratya

28 736905 .. Parisia spp.  

28 736019 .. Parisia gracilis .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736020 .. Parisia unguis .. [a carid shrimp]

28 736906 .. Pycneus spp.

28 736021 .. Pycneus morsitans .. [a carid shrimp]

28 736907 .. Pycnisia spp.

28 736025 .. Pycnisia bunyip .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736022 .. Pycnisia raptor .. [a carid shrimp]

28 736908 .. Stygiocaris spp.

28 736023 .. Stygiocaris lancifera .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736024 .. Stygiocaris stylifera .. [a carid shrimp]

[jayc]

Nice to see Dave is still around on SKFA.

[fishmosy]

On 12 March 2017 at 6:58 AM, Dave said:

There are plenty of Australian Shrimps not found by hobbyists yet.  There are a whole pile of undescribed and different shrimps on the Arhem Land and Kakadu Escarpment

 

CAAB Search

 

 

28 756976 .. Leptopalaemon spp. .. Kakadu shrimps
28 756276 .. Leptopalaemon gagadjui .. common Kakadu shrimp
28 756279 .. Leptopalaemon gibbosus .. humped Kakadu shrimp
28 756277 .. Leptopalaemon glabrus .. smooth Kakadu shrimp

 

Parent Codes (if any):
   28 708000 .. Order Decapoda - undifferentiated .. decapod crustaceans

Child Codes (if any):
   28 736901 .. Australatya spp.

 

28 736005 .. Australatya striolata .. [a carid shrimp]

 

 

 

 

 

   28 736902 .. Caridina spp. .. [a shrimp]

 

28 736027 .. Caridina brachydactyla .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736006 .. Caridina celebensis .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736001 .. Caridina confusa .. false zebra shrimp
   28 736007 .. Caridina gracilirostris .. slender-beaked caridina
   28 736008 .. Caridina indistincta indistincta .. indistinct caridina
   28 736009 .. Caridina indistincta sobrina .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736011 .. Caridina nilotica .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736010 .. Caridina peninsularis .. McCulloch's caridina
   28 736028 .. Caridina riverstoni .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736012 .. Caridina serratirostris .. spiny-beaked caridina
   28 736026 .. Caridina simoni .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736013 .. Caridina spelunca .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736002 .. Caridina spinula .. McIlwraith Range caridina
   28 736014 .. Caridina thermopila .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736003 .. Caridina typus .. typical caridina
   28 736015 .. Caridina wilkinsi .. [a carid shrimp]
   28 736004 .. Caridina zebra .. zebra shrimp 
   28 736904 .. Paratya spp. 28 736016 .. Paratya australiensis .. Australian paratya
   28 736017 .. Paratya howensis .. Lord Howe Island paratya
   28 736018 .. Paratya norfolkensis .. Norfolk Island paratya

28 736905 .. Parisia spp.  

28 736019 .. Parisia gracilis .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736020 .. Parisia unguis .. [a carid shrimp]

 

28 736906 .. Pycneus spp.

 

28 736021 .. Pycneus morsitans .. [a carid shrimp]

 

 

 

28 736907 .. Pycnisia spp.

 

28 736025 .. Pycnisia bunyip .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736022 .. Pycnisia raptor .. [a carid shrimp]

 

 

 

28 736908 .. Stygiocaris spp.

 

28 736023 .. Stygiocaris lancifera .. [a carid shrimp]
28 736024 .. Stygiocaris stylifera .. [a carid shrimp]

 

Very true. Note that several of these names are in doubt. For example, 'indistincta' is actually 5 different species, with formal descriptions as yet unavailable (but hopefully coming soon). 

[Dave]

On 27/07/2016 at 6:17 PM, fishmosy said:

The blue is likely a stress response as this video was taken not long after the shrimp were caught. The blues are Caridina serratirostris which I've taken to calling ninjas. They come from far north QLD. They are different to the similar looking shrimp from Northern Territory - which I call chameleons (currently called Caridina sp. WA4, and awaiting formal scientific description). Chameleons are more likely to be more widespread in the hobby given they are bred and sold commercially. I'm only aware of a couple of people who have the ninjas. 

There are true ninjas here in Darwin but they are too difficult to breed in captivity, that is why Aquagreen has not offered them for sale. 

[Rare Aqua]

Very cool, i Breed Amarinus Lacustris a small freshwater crab

[Curtis]

im very interested in some true ninja shrimps if anyone has any? please email me if you have some [email protected]

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Curtis

[Quek]

Finally I found a site that teach me alots.

Just caught some wild one at the local stream around Cairns.

Any idea what are these? Not the yellow cherry. 

Edited January 12 by Quek

[jayc]

Noice!

[sdlTBfanUK]

Those shrimp are stunning, I hope they survive in your aquarium ok and they keep their colouring!

No idea what they are unfortunately.  

[Curtis]

Likely ninja shrimp, caridina serratirostris nice specimens you have ☺️ I've been looking for some myself.

[Quek]

They survive well and one of the female red has belly full of eggs now. Will try and selectively breed them. Funny part is I can only find them in 2 sqm  spot in the wild under a well shade tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 12 by Quek

[jayc]

13 hours ago, Curtis said:

ninja shrimp, caridina serratirostris

That was my thought as well. Caridina sp. ‘WA 4’ or Chameleon shrimp or "Ninja Shrimp". 

They can change colour and are often found in the area Quek is in.

[Curtis]

6 hours ago, jayc said:

That was my thought as well. Caridina sp. ‘WA 4’ or Chameleon shrimp or "Ninja Shrimp". 

They can change colour and are often found in the area Quek is in.

I believe they are different, I bought some off a person in Wollongong, caridina sp wa4 and they look different to these especially the black and white ones maybe it might be an environment thing though or diet

[jayc]

I wouldn't trust anyone from Wollongong getting it right with identification of Caridina sp. 'WA4'. 😆

[Curtis]

3 hours ago, jayc said:

I wouldn't trust anyone from Wollongong getting it right with identification of Caridina sp. 'WA4'. 😆

Lol yeah maybe 🤷https://www.natsfish.com/product/fish/other-fish/chameleon-ninja-shrimp-freshwater/