Palaemon pugio, commonly known as daggerblade grass shrimp, is a small, transparent species of shrimp with yellow coloring and brownish spots.[1] It can be found in estuarine and tidal marsh habitats throughout the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Palaemon pugio has a smooth carapace and abdomen, as well as three pairs of legs. The second pair is the strongest, while the third pair lacks chelae (claws). It reaches a length of around 5 cm (2.0 in), and has a life span of around one year. Like most grass shrimp, it is a forager and feeds on a variety of items, including microalgae. They themselves are consumed by killifish and other small foraging fish.[2]

Palaemon pugio
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Caridea
Family: Palaemonidae
Genus: Palaemon
Species:
P. pugio
Binomial name
Palaemon pugio
(Holthuis, 1949)
Synonyms
  • Palaemonetes pugio Holthuis, 1949

References edit

  1. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Palaemon pugio (Holthuis, 1949)". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  2. ^ Lipke B. Holthuis (1949). "Note on the species of Palaemonetes (Crustacea Decapoda) found in the United States of America" (PDF). Proceedings van de Koninklijke Nederlandsche Akademie van Wetenschappen. 52: 87–95.

Further reading edit

External links edit