Callianassidae Family of Ghost Shrimp

One Ghost Shrimp of the Callianassidae Family can be found in this website:

Bay Ghost Shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis. A representative of the Callianassidae Family of Ghost Shrimp.

Phylogeny:  Ghost Shrimp are a member of the Callianassidae Family. The Family is a taxonomically active with multiple subfamilies and reclassifications on-going. Like crabs, crayfish and lobsters the Ghost Shrimp belong to the phylum Arthropoda and the subphylum Crustacea. They are in the class Malacostraca and the order Decapoda. The Callianassidae Family currently contains twenty-eight genera and around two hundred and thirty-four species. The name Callianassidae comes from the Greek words meaning “beautiful queen”. Callianassa was a sea-nymph in Greek mythology.

Habitat and Distribution:  Ghost Shrimp are burrowers, that usually reside in extensive burrows in sand or mud substrate. Most burrows are branched, with multiple entrances. Some burrows extend 75 cm (2 feet 4 inches) below the surface of the substrate. Some species may be found in burrows in porous rock or coral, or under rocks. They live from the intertidal zone to depths as great as 1,050 m (3,444 feet). Ghost Shrimp are found worldwide in temperate to tropical seas. Seven species of the Callianassidae Family are found in Mexican waters.

Morphology:  Callianassids have 5 head segments, 8 thoracic segments, 6 abdominal segments, 5 pairs of appendages function as legs (pereiopods), 3 pairs function as mouth parts (maxillipeds), and 1 pair is modified into enlarged unequally sized pincers (chalae). The first abdominal segment is shorter and narrower than the remaining segments; the abdominal appendages are not oar-shaped. The head and thorax are usually combined as a cephalothorax. Their head includes a pair of antennae, a pair of antennules, and the mouth. These animals have a two chambered stomach. Ghost Shrimp are pale to whitish in color, from which they derive their name. Ghost Shrimp reach a maximum of 15 cm (5.9 inches) in length.

Reproduction:  Ghost Shrimp are gonochoric (male or female for life). They reproduce sexually with internal fertilization. Females brood the fertilized eggs under their abdomen.  The eggs then hatch into planktonic larvae.

Ecosystems Roles:    Ghost Shrimp utilize the hairs on their legs to feed on detritus and plankton, which they filter from the ambient water, or the sediment. They often store dead plant matter in their burrows. Ghost Shrimp are preyed upon by crustaceans, fish, and mollusks. Ghost Shrimp often share their burrows with other animals, including clams, gobies,  pistol shrimp and polychaeta worms. The burrowing activity of Ghost Shrimp influences the chemical and geophysical properties of the sediment (bioturbation), and plays an important ecological role.