Palaemonetes

Palaemonetes kadiakensis



Mississippi Grass Shrimp

Description: Freshwater shrimp are similar to crayfish but are easily distinguished from them. First, they are slender and nearly transparent. Shrimp have only the first 2 pairs of legs with pincers, whereas crayfish have pincers on the first 3 pairs of legs (the first pair being large “lobster” claws). Also, the abdomen (“tail”) of shrimp is flattened side to side, while that of crayfish is flattened top to bottom.

Life Cycle: Females carry their eggs attached to swimmerets beneath the abdomen. When the young hatch, the earliest stages are planktonic, drifting around in the water at the mercy of currents, not walking on the bottom substrate. These larvae are called nauplii (pronounced NOP-lee-eye; singular, nauplius), and they look very different than the adults; they have only 3 pairs of appendages. As they eat, grow, and molt, they acquire different forms, finally taking on the form and lifestyle of adults. Most live no more than a year.

Sources: MDOC