Processa edulis
| Processa edulis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Caridea |
| Family: | Processidae |
| Genus: | Processa |
| Species: | P. edulis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Processa edulis (Risso, 1816)[1]
| |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Processa edulis is a species of caridean shrimp found shallow water in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It mostly inhabits seagrass beds and eelgrass flats, hiding by day and feeding at night.
Description
Processa edulis is a moderate-sized shrimp, males being 12 to 34 mm (0.47 to 1.34 in) in length and females 25 to 52 mm (0.98 to 2.05 in). The rostrum is short, not extending beyond the eyes, and is tipped with a tooth and a point. The first two pairs of legs are asymmetrical; leg 1 has a claw on the left side and a clamp on the right; leg 2 has a clamp on both sides, but the left leg is longer than the right. During the day this shrimp is white but at night it becomes pink or red, with a scattering of tiny white spots, which are the chromatophores.[2]
Distribution and habitat
Processa edulis occurs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean between 55° and 33° North, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. It is a shallow water species, being found on soft bottoms in seagrass beds and among eelgrass. It is common in Posidonia beds in the English Channel, and is sometimes found among seaweeds growing on the sandy seabed. It hides among the foliage or buries itself in the sand by day, emerging at night to feed.[2]
Ecology
Processa edulis feeds on small invertebrates such as nematodes, polychaete worms, amphipods isopods, ostracods, decapod larvae, foraminifera, molluscs and fish eggs, and occasionally diatoms and fragments of seagrass and seaweed. It tears up its prey with its asymmetric front legs.[2] This shrimp is believed to be a protandric hermaphrodite, starting life as a male and becoming female as it grows larger. Breeding takes place between March and September, during which time several batches of eggs are laid. The female attaches the eggs to her abdominal legs; they are green at first, becoming grey before hatching after three to four weeks. The development of the planktonic larvae takes a further three to four weeks before they settle on the seabed to undergo metamorphosis into juvenile shrimps.[2]
References
- ^ a b De Grave, Sammy (2020). "Processa edulis (Risso, 1816)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ a b c d Noel, Pierre; Maran, Vincent; Prouzet, Anne (20 April 2014). "Processa edulis (Risso, 1816)" (in French). DORIS. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
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