Spotted Cleaner Shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) Breeding Guide

Periclimenes yucatanicus is a Caribbean anemone shrimp. Females brood eggs in summer and release planktonic larvae that are not reared in home aquaria.

Overview

Periclimenes yucatanicus, the spotted cleaner shrimp, grows to about 2.5 cm (1 in) with a transparent body patterned in brown and white saddle-shaped markings and red, purple and white striping on the legs. It is found to depths of about 24 metres in the Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, the Bahamas and as far south as Colombia, living with anemones such as Condylactis gigantea, Lebrunia danae, Bartholomea lucida and Bartholomea annulata.

Conditioning

The shrimp depends on a host anemone, with up to six individuals recorded on one anemone, so a healthy host is the basis for keeping the animal well. No whitelisted source documents a reproduction-specific conditioning diet beyond its natural cleaning role.

Breeding Setup

The shrimp runs a cleaning station, swishing its antennae to attract reef fish and removing parasites and dead skin, even entering the mouths of fish and cleaning behind the gill covers. A stable anemone host with fish traffic reproduces its natural breeding setting.

Spawning & Berried Females

Breeding takes place in summer; females have been observed brooding eggs beneath the abdomen in July and August. This seasonal pattern is documented from wild populations.

Larval Care

After hatching the larvae pass through planktonic stages before settling and metamorphosing into adults. No whitelisted source documents a practical home protocol for rearing them through this phase.