Any idea what it may be

[redeye]

I decided to go to the skungy creek just near the Stockland Shopping centre. I managed to make my way down with my net and bucket dodging rubbish and broken glass....and it was smelly.

The creek had a bit of a wash out thanks to the heavy rain we had over the week. I found a couple of long arm shrimps and some other varieties common around the creeks here in Cairns. Sorry I have no idea what the names are....still learning and trying to put my tongue around some of those hard to spell names

BUT I found one shrimp in amongst the aquatic weeds and I was totally thrilled as it was very very different to all the others. The only problem is I didn't take a photo of it before I released it in my fish tank. Whats more frustrating is I can't find the dame thing either.

So if I describe it to you, some one may know what it is and could put a name to it. This shrimp deserves to be called a zebra shrimp because he had black stripes like a zebra, not bars but erratic black stripes over its body. Its body shape and size was more similar to the red exotic cherry shrimp.

So has anyone seen a shrimp like I described?

[zacsbee89]

Send Northboy (bob) a PM mate! he'll know what it is.

[redeye]

Of course he would :encouragement:

[Baccus]

Sounds fascinating, I know at times when I have caught interesting creek shrimp around here, when first caught they may look black or blue but in a very short space of time they drop their colour to blend in with the new surrounds.

I hope your one has kept its markings/ colours and that you can find it again.

Don't suppose you noticed if it was a berried female by any chance? Just something else I noticed with my local shrimp the colourful females are often berried.

[redeye]

I hope its still alive and no I did't see any eggs underneath. I hope it was berried but it didn't have that full look about it when I put it in the tank. Maybe one day it will poke its head out.

[northboy]

It wont be the same pattern now because its a Ninja or C. serratirostris. Most likely clear for now an will have and abstract colour form shortly.

I have not fished that area but it is a classic pattern and sort of the right area or the plants at least in there. Looked in there and said YUCK LOL

Bob

[redeye]

Yeh the creek was a bit horrible and someone dumped a dead stingray in it so I know what the smell was. You think I could have a ninja or cs? I'm chuffed....I have a shrimp that I have never had before. The other thing I wanted to tell everybody is that one of the shrimps I put in my tank turned red when I shone the torch on it. So any idea what that one could be?

[Baccus]

Your torch is too bright and your cooking it....LOL ;).

But seriously does it look red only when the light is on it or is it that its turning red at night? Is the red like the glow spots on the Barron river (B.E) shrimp? Remeber how they glow under the body but only with LED torch. Any chance of some pictures? If the tank needs to be fairly dark you could try baiting up an area of the tank just before lights out for the night and later come back and hopefully the shrimp will be at the bait and you will be able to photograph them.

[northboy]

Most shrimp are Red at night, it is a defensive measure.

The reason is, Red is the first colour to disappear as light fades, so in the dark they are invisible to predators, well most any way.

See that's what happens when you hang around with Scientists they fill your head with krap LOL.

Bob

[Gbang]

Wow I never knew that!!! Cool fact bob!

[redeye]

This shrimps looked like a cherry but a different body, but I think I have caught the one that is the culprit, on camera of course. Its a female Yahoooooo! and Bob could you give me the name of this pretty girl......well I think she is anyway. Notice a touch of red outline on the tail?

[redeye]

Just wanted to ad also that when I shine the torch on my other natives in the other tanks I have, they aren't red, just the same old colour. But as Baccus mentioned about our BE shrimp, mine had fluro greeny glows near the sides and on the tail and near the black dots but I never saw any red.

I will try and take a pic tonight of the shrimp that turns totally red like a cherry shrimp......this so exciting.

[northboy]

Hi

That one is C. longirostrus the same as DAS and that is what DAS use to be before the DNA was done on them.

When shrimp are in captivity for a while they tend to loose the turning red thing, They must know its safe and there is not to many predators around.

Now is the time to Go and look at the Barron around Kumarunga where it joins again after the island. The middle creek is the best one IF you can get across the rapids and it is NO easy task.

Bob