H. clarki captured in the Auke Bay Harbor; note the red rostrum
and humpback.
H. clarki captured in the Auke Bay Harbor; note the red rostrum
and humpback.
| The most distinguishing characteristic of the Hippolytes clarki is the hump formed by the third segment of its abdomen, thus giving the animal its common name, the Kelp Humpback Shrimp. Another great characteristic is the animal’s very long rostum, which appears bright red in the animals captured from Auke Bay. The rosrum ends in 3 spines, which are hard to see with the naked eye. In California the animal lives in eel grass and it takes on a green appearance. In Alaska the animal’s color disguises the animal to match its surroundings and often other colors other than green are seen. In size the males are smaller at about 18mm where as the females can reach 31mm. |
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page by Mareta Bates