APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

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Please note the specimen here belongs to the Caprella acanthifera group, this is a group that needs significant work to determine the species that are present around the UK. Dr. José Manuel Guerra García of the Laboratorio de Biología Marina, Universidad de Sevilla, Spain has stated that the specimens we see that are densely covered in setae, (not algal filaments or suctorian ciliates) are 'likely' Caprella takeuchii.

Caprella takeuchii is 6.2 - 9.3mm in length. Caprella acanthifera lacks setae.

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- dorsal and lateral view male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- dorsal view male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view anterior male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view head male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- setae covered gnathopod 2 of adult male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view body male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- dorsal view male 2

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view body male 2

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- lateral view posterior male 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- with 1.0mm division rule 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella takeuchii ?
- habitat / location 1

The adult male specimen above was found in a scrape sample of Coral Weed taken from a deep middleshore pool at Battery Rocks, Penzance, Cornwall. 09.06.21.

Below, a similar specimen to the above but doubtfully the same species due to an increasing number of dorsal spines.

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella sp. ?
- lateral view 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella sp. ?
- lateral view body 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella sp. ?
- gnathopod 2 and head 1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella sp. ?
- gnathopod 2 -1

Skeleton shrimp
Caprella sp. ?
- gnathopods 2 -2

The specimen above was found at Chimney Rocks, Penzance, Cornwall. 11.06.14. Note the setae that also covers this specimen..

Caprella takeuchii and ones like it have not yet been described as from the UK. Essentially the Caprella acanthifera group has to be looked at and specimens from the UK sequenced so we can accurately determine what we have, and likely a mix of native and non-native caprellids.

This page could not be produced without the help of Dr. José Manuel Guerra García a well know caprellid expert.

The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help

people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.