Banded Coral Shrimp

The banded coral shrimp is unmistakable: a small crustacean striped in bold red and white bands, with long white antennae and a pair of outsized claws. It typically occupies crevices and overhangs on coral and rocky reefs between 5 and 60 metres, often in pairs or small groups. Despite its delicate appearance, this shrimp is a capable predator that hunts small fish and crustaceans, and is well-known to divers for its habit of cleaning parasites from larger fish—a behaviour that draws it into conspicuous positions on the reef.