An association between the anemone, Cribrinopsis fernaldi, and shrimps of the families hippolytidae and pandalidae

Abstract

A previously undocumented association between the pink sea anemone Cribrinopsis fernaldi and several species of Caridean shrimp was observed from a submersible in Kodiak, Alaska. Shrimp were aggregated in a radial pattern around anemones, beneath or just beyond the tentacle canopy. Species collected with a suction sampler included Eualus suckleyi, Spirontocaris sp., Lebbeus grandimanus, L. groenlandicus and Pandalus tridens, but not Pandalus borealis, although it was probably also present. Numbers of shrimp per anemone increased with depth from 61 to 115 m, and more shrimp were observed on silty-sand than on sandy-gravel substrates. While associations between actinians and Hippolytid shrimp are common in tropical waters, this association is unique because of its northern geographic location and the involvement of Pandalid shrimp.