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Plesionika narval (J.C. Fabricius, 1787)
The narwhal or unicorn shrimp received this name because of its long rostrum. It is heavily fished and is considered a delicacy. Therefore, it is massively commercialized in the Canary Islands and Madeira (Northeast Atlantic), rare in the Mediterranean, although it is also known in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific (Madagascar, Polynesia).
Plesionika narval reaches a length of 10 cm without the rostrum. The rostrum reaches two and a half times the length of the carapace. It has many small sharp teeth on its top and bottom. The Narval shrimp has long, highly mobile antennae that it uses to explore its surroundings. The eyes are large and prominent. The shrimp is pale pink with thin white stripes framed by orange stripes to bright red. Antennae, rostrum and legs are bright red. The antennae vary from white to red. The eyes are blue, as are the eggs, which are carried under the belly.
This species usually lives in large groups of several hundred or thousand animals, consisting of around 70% females and 30% males. Adults inhabit mud and muddy sandy soils, often near rocky areas of the continental slope. They also inhabit underwater caves. When unicorn shrimps leave their underwater caves in large numbers, they line stone walls, giving the diver the strange impression that the walls are moving!
The narwhal shrimp is an active predator of small planktonic crustaceans, but also eats carrion.
The records in the tropical American Atlantic probably come from another closely related species (Plesionika longicauda).
Synonymised names:
Astacus narual J.C. Fabricius, 1787 (basionym)
Nisea formosa Risso, 1844
Palaemon tarentinum O.G. Costa, 1844
Palemon pristis Risso, 1816 (junior synonym)
Pandalus escatilis Stimpson, 1860 (junior synonym)
Pandalus stylopus A. Milne-Edwards, 1883 (junior synonym)
Parapandalus narval (Fabricius, 1787)
The narwhal or unicorn shrimp received this name because of its long rostrum. It is heavily fished and is considered a delicacy. Therefore, it is massively commercialized in the Canary Islands and Madeira (Northeast Atlantic), rare in the Mediterranean, although it is also known in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific (Madagascar, Polynesia).
Plesionika narval reaches a length of 10 cm without the rostrum. The rostrum reaches two and a half times the length of the carapace. It has many small sharp teeth on its top and bottom. The Narval shrimp has long, highly mobile antennae that it uses to explore its surroundings. The eyes are large and prominent. The shrimp is pale pink with thin white stripes framed by orange stripes to bright red. Antennae, rostrum and legs are bright red. The antennae vary from white to red. The eyes are blue, as are the eggs, which are carried under the belly.
This species usually lives in large groups of several hundred or thousand animals, consisting of around 70% females and 30% males. Adults inhabit mud and muddy sandy soils, often near rocky areas of the continental slope. They also inhabit underwater caves. When unicorn shrimps leave their underwater caves in large numbers, they line stone walls, giving the diver the strange impression that the walls are moving!
The narwhal shrimp is an active predator of small planktonic crustaceans, but also eats carrion.
The records in the tropical American Atlantic probably come from another closely related species (Plesionika longicauda).
Synonymised names:
Astacus narual J.C. Fabricius, 1787 (basionym)
Nisea formosa Risso, 1844
Palaemon tarentinum O.G. Costa, 1844
Palemon pristis Risso, 1816 (junior synonym)
Pandalus escatilis Stimpson, 1860 (junior synonym)
Pandalus stylopus A. Milne-Edwards, 1883 (junior synonym)
Parapandalus narval (Fabricius, 1787)
