Commensal Birdsnest Pistol shrimp? ID pics for you, Leslie

[Brie]

So I was unpacking a coral shipment from Fiji today and came across this pair of pistol shrimp living inside a big, football sized Pink Birdsnest colony. They're the same color as the base of the birdsnest, with bright blue eyes. Really cool looking. I've never seen commensal pistol shrimp before, is that what these are? Any idea as to species?

(click on pic for full size image)

 

[TJL]

WOW Brie, very cool. I just picked up a wild colony of similar Pink Birdsnest w/ mint green tips that has a beautiful acro crab Xanthidae family and signs of several Gall crabs Hapalocarcinus marsupialis will have to wait and see if any of these show themselves. If I only had a nice Digital SLR and your camera skills Brie I could have posted some pics too.

Todd

 

[thatguy559]

hey brie are you guys gonna sell them....i would like to buy them with the birdnest

 

[Brie]

hey brie are you guys gonna sell them....i would like to buy them with the birdnest

This isn't meant to be a sale thread, think that would violate the TOS of the site. PM me if you have any Qs about that.

 

[thatguy559]

oops sorry didnt think about that!!

 

[kevinpo]

Hello Brie,
Very nice pictures! I don't have an ID but they are quite common in medium to large colonies and will live without problems with the commensal crabs in the same colony. The problem I've found is that algae tends to grow around the areas they inhabit. This could be due to the lack of flow to remove their waste products so I would recommend placement in a high flow area.

Cheers,
Kevin

 

[LeslieH]

Thanks, Brie. Your post is the ideal ID request - what you want to know about, where it came from, and excellent pics!

Those are part of the Alpheus lottini complex. It has a very wide distribution in the IP, WP, and EP. Members of the complex have a variety of color patterns which can be correlated to specific populations & possibly genetic differences. They are obligate commensals of pocilloporid corals that feed on coral mucus & organic particulates trapped in the mucus. Crown of thorns starfish attacking corals with commensals will find themselves under attack from both the shrimp & crabs.

One of the coolest things about these shrimp - and the reason they get along with the crabs - is that they "speak" crab. Lottini incorporate typical crab movements into their own routines so the crabs accept them as friends rather than competitors.

 

[LeslieH]

(Stupid computer!)

 

[Brie]

That is super cool! Thanks for the reply Leslie and Kevin. Wish I had a big birdsnest colony of my own to house these guys in. I'm assuming they die without a colony to host in? Since it takes away part of their food source?

 

[LeslieH]

I really don't know. Reefers have reported that their commensal crabs like Trapezia seem to do fine without their hosts, maybe the shrimp would do.