Marble Shrimp (Saron marmoratus) Breeding Guide

Saron marmoratus is a nocturnal Indo-Pacific reef shrimp with strong sexual dimorphism. As a hippolytid it has planktonic larvae that are not reared at home.

Overview

Saron marmoratus, the marble shrimp, is a nocturnal hippolytid ranging across the Indo-Pacific from the Red Sea south to Madagascar and Mozambique, through the Persian Gulf, India and Southeast Asia to the southern Pacific, including Australia and Hawaii; it has also been recorded off Lebanon via Lessepsian migration. It is omnivorous, sifting the substrate at night for detritus, plankton and other items, and has been known to feed on coral and polyps.

Sexing

The species is sexually dimorphic. Females display an obvious brush-like structure of setae on the first pair of legs, and tufts of setae along the carapace and abdomen are denser in females. Males have disproportionately large claws (chelae) longer than the body.

Conditioning

By night the shrimp can shift its body colour toward red, camouflaging itself in twilight, while by day it remains hidden. Conditioning therefore relies on respecting its nocturnal, reclusive behaviour and providing varied omnivorous food.

Larval Care

As a hippolytid shrimp the female carries eggs that hatch into planktonic larvae. No whitelisted source documents a practical method for rearing the planktonic larvae of this species to settlement in aquaria.