Heterocarpus

Heterocarpus
Heterocarpus ensifer
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Caridea
Family: Pandalidae
Genus: Heterocarpus
A. Milne-Edwards, 1881
Type species
Heterocarpus ensifer
A. Milne-Edwards, 1881

Heterocarpus is a genus of deep-sea shrimp, mainly of tropical areas all over the world.

Description

Heterocarpus is characterised by the highly unequal second pair of pereiopods: one side is long and thin and the other is short but stronger, besides the carapace with one or more longitudinal carinae.

Species

So far, 30 species have been described for this genus, Heterocarpus ensifer being the type species. The described species of this genus are:

Ecology

Heterocarpus ensifer close-up and after "vomiting" or "spitting" bioluminescent fluid.

Many Heterocarpus shrimp are known for using bioluminescence as a defense, spitting it on predators. Studies about their feeding habits, and the fact that they may be found in the stomach contents of some pelagic sharks and other fishes is interpreted as they have benthic habits, but they do migrations to the water column at night. Some species of this genus have high fishery potential, such as H. reedi and H. laevigatus.

References

  1. ^ Fenner A. Chace, Jr. (1985). "The Caridean Shrimps (Crustacea, Decapoda) of the Albatross Philippine Expedition, 1907–1910, Part 3: Families Thalassocarididae and Pandalidae". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 411 (411): 1–143. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.411.
  2. ^ Alain Crosnier (1988). "Sur les Heterocarpus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Pandalidae) du sud-ouest de l'océan Indien. Remarques sur d'autres espèces ouest-pacifiques du genre et description de quatre taxa nouveaux". Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle de Paris. 4ème série. 10 (A 1): 57–103. doi:10.5962/p.287497. S2CID 133303744.
  3. ^ B. K. K. Chan; I. C. Lin; T. W. Shih; T. Y. Chan (2008). "Bioluminescent emissions of the deep-water pandalid shrimp, Heterocarpus sibogae De Man, 1917 (Decapoda, Caridea, Pandalidae) under laboratory conditions". Crustaceana. 81 (3): 341–350. doi:10.1163/156854008783564064.
  4. ^ S. F. Rainer (1992). "Diet of prawns from the continental slope of north-western Australia". Bulletin of Marine Science. 50 (2): 258–274.
  5. ^ Teodoro Vaske Júnior; Carolus Maria Vooren; Rosangela Paula Lessa (2009). "Feeding strategy of the night shark (Carcharhinus signatus) and the scalloped hammershark (Sphyruna lewini) near seamounts off northeastern Brazil". Brazilian Journal of Oceanography. 57 (2): 97–104. doi:10.1590/S1679-87592009000200002.
  6. ^ M. G. King (1984). "The species and depth distribution of deepwater caridean shrimps (Decapoda, Caridea) near some Southwest Pacific islands". Crustaceana. 47 (2): 174–191. doi:10.1163/156854084X00405. JSTOR 20103973. S2CID 84728160.
  7. ^ P. E. Pérez (2007). "An economic analysis of the Heterocarpus reedi and Cervimunida johni fisheries off northern-central Chile, from 1997 to 2000". Investigaciones Marinas. 35 (2): 45–52. doi:10.4067/S0717-71782007000200005.
  8. ^ Stephen Ralston (1986). "An intensive fishing experiment for the caridean shrimp, Heterocarpus laevigatus, at Alamagan Island in the Mariana archipelago" (PDF). Fishery Bulletin. 84 (4): 927–934.