Banded Coral Shrimp Stenopus hispidus

The Banded Coral Shrimp has a large range and a number of common names including the Coral Banded Shrimp, Coral Cleaner Shrimp and the Boxer Shrimp. Despite these names, it is not technically a shrimp but is a decapod crustacean. It is native to tropical and subtropical coral and rocky reefs of the Indo-Pacific Oceans including the east coast of Africa, Australia and through to the mid Pacific. It is also native to the western Atlantic from Canada to Brazil.

As the name indicates, it is banded - attractively in red and white on body and middle set of limbs. It grows to 6cm long excluding its extensive antennae. It is territorial and mongamous. It takes a boxer's stance spreading its red and white "arms" and waving its white antennae to attract trade when working as a cleaner shrimp. Its front claws remove dead tissue and parasites from fish.