Pacific Clown Anemone Shrimp (Ancylocaris brevicarpalis) Breeding Guide

Ancylocaris brevicarpalis is a commensal anemone shrimp. Larger females carry eggs in monogamous pairs, but its planktonic larvae are not reared at home.

Overview

Ancylocaris brevicarpalis (also treated as Periclimenes brevicarpalis), the glass or peacock-tail anemone shrimp, is a small palaemonid of the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans, including Australia. It reaches about 0.5 to 1.0 inch in length and lives commensally with sea anemones, corals and jellyfish. The body is nearly transparent with white spots and orange black-edged spots on the tail fan.

Sexing

Females are larger than males and carry more white spots, while males reach a similar average body size. The species is reported as gonochoric (separate sexes) and monogamous, with pairs frequently sharing a single host.

Breeding Setup

Because the shrimp depends on a host, a stable pairing with a suitable anemone or large coral is the foundation for any reproductive activity. A settled monogamous pair on one host most closely matches the documented field condition.

Spawning & Berried Females

As a palaemonid shrimp the female carries fertilised eggs beneath her abdomen until hatching. Field reports describe pairs on the same host individual, consistent with monogamous reproduction.

Larval Care

Hatched larvae enter a planktonic phase before settlement. No whitelisted source documents a workable home protocol for rearing these tiny planktonic larvae to settlement.