Emperor shrimp
Scientific name : Periclimenes imperator
Commensal shrimp living with nudibranches and holoturians. The antennal scales, flattened, give to the head a typical duck-billed appearance. The background colour is ornge-red. White spots are concentrated in an enclosed area on the back, or uniformly scattered in specimens living on the spanish dancer, or are missing completely. Legs and joints of the claws re purple. 2 cm.
Easy to identify by the "duck bill" and by purple legs and pinces. The dorsal spots can have different shape and extension. The more similar species is Periclimenes soror, smaller and whose claws are not purple tipped.
Associated organisms
With many different species of sea cucumber or sea snail. From the host it receives shelter (hiding underneath), help to find food (in the sand moved by the holoturian, for example). It have been observed feeding on the nudibranches fecal pellets.
Colour pattern can change depending on the host, the camouflage being more or less effective.
Habitat:
Back reef, Coastal bay, Deep reef, Lagoon, Reef external slope, Reef front
Distribution:
Indo-Pacific
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