Caridea
The carids (Caridea) are an infraorder of marine or freshwater decapod crustaceans, commonly known as shrimps, prawns , squillas or shears.
They are relatively easy to find all over the world, both in fresh and salt water. As an example, some two hundred and forty species of shrimp live in the tropical Pacific coastal waters of the Americas alone.
They are usually much smaller than prawns.
Taxonomy
Although the infraorder Caridea, of the decapod crustaceans, is the one usually associated with shrimp, it should be noted that in Spanish a large number of crustaceans are called shrimp, more or less related, but which they are not necessarily of the decapod order, like several species of the subclass Mysidacea.
The caridae include both the so-called river shrimp, as well as some marine shrimp from tropical, temperate, or deep cold waters. For example, the genus Macrobrachium, of the family Palaemonidae, lives in inland waters, the Atyidae are always freshwater and are found all over the world, except in the polar regions, the genera Heterocarpus and Pandalus, of the family Pandalidae, live in marine waters, and Crangonidae can be found from the littoral to the abyssal zone.
According to a 2012 study, there are 2,572 accepted species of shrimp, which represent 58% of the total estimated species, as there are 400 undescribed species in museum collections, and the Experts estimate that in nature there are another 1,500 species that have not yet been collected. This represents an estimate of more than four thousand species to be included in Caridea.
Superfamilies
The World Register of Marine Species includes the following superfamilies and family in the infraorder Caridea:
- Alpheoidea Rafinesque, 1815
- Atyoidea De Haan, 1849
- Bresilioida Calman, 1896
- Campylonotoidea Sollaud, 1913
- Caridea incertae sedis
- Crangonoid Haworth, 1825
- Nematocarcinoid Smith, 1884
- Oplophoroida Dana, 1852
- Palaemonoid Rafinesque, 1815
- Pandaloid Haworth, 1825
- Pasiphaeoidea Dana, 1852
- Physetocaridoidea Chace, 1940
- Processoidea Ortmann, 1896
- Psalidopodoida Wood-Mason, 1892
- Stylodactyloidea Spence Bate, 1888
- Anchialocarididae Mejía-Ortíz, Yáñez and López-Mejía, 2017
Grouping the following genera and families, not included in these superfamilies, into the superfamily "Caridea incertae sedis":
- Family Amphionididae Holthuis, 1955
- Amphiplectus
- Anebocaris
- Camptocaris
- Caricyphus
- Caulurus
- Copiocaris
- Coronocaris
- Diaphoropus
- Falcicaris
- Kyptocaris
- Odontocerus
- Odontolophus
- Oligocaris
- Pandacaricyphus
- Posydon
- Rhomaleocaris
- Tizeuma
- Zuphanusa
Morphology
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Their sizes range from 2 to 35 mm in length, they have small legs, fibrous jaw edges, a compressed body, a tail that is very long in relation to the body, a thin shell, and are variable in color.
The body of shrimp is generally cylindrical, and is divided into two main parts: the head and thorax, which are assembled together to form the cephalothorax, and a long, narrow abdomen. They have one body, made up of a shell in front, and six abdominal segments. They are all decapods, that is, they have ten legs. The legs are the last five of the eight pairs of thoracic appendages characteristic of crustaceans. The first three pairs of appendages function as mouthparts, the rest of the pereiopods being called maxillipeds. The first pair of legs usually consists of elongated pincer- or chela-shaped pieces, so these legs may be called chelipeds.
Other appendages are found on the pleon or abdomen, where each segment bears a pair of biramous pleopods, which are shaped like paddles, which they use to propel themselves through the water, and swim forward. They can also be used for more purposes than swimming. Some shrimp species use them to incubate eggs, others have gills to breathe through them, and the males of some species use the first pair or two for insemination. The last abdominal appendages are part of the tail, together with the telson, and are called uropods. The uropods allow the shrimp to swim backwards, and function as a rudder, directing the shrimp when swimming forward. Together, the telson and the uropods form a fan with the tail extended. If a shrimp is alarmed, it can flex its tail fan in one swift motion. This results in a strong backward impulse, which is called the 'carydoid escape reaction'.
Eyes are well developed in most species, but cave-dwelling species are often blind. They have several pairs of antennae, the shape, length, and number of which vary greatly, depending on the feeding habits of the species. The antennula is a small antenna that is configured on the second pair of appendages. Below the antennula is the antenna. Cave-dwelling species have a greater number of appendages to feel around or feed on.
Coloration is highly variable, with some species being white or faded (mostly cave-dwelling or cave-dwelling species), reef dwellers often bright and attractive or cryptic, and other species are transparent, nearly invisible, commonly called "crystal shrimp". When they are colored, they can be blue, yellow, orange, red... horizontal or oblique lines on the carapace and vertical on the abdomen, and colored stripes also on the legs.
Habitat and distribution
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Caridea are most common in well-oxygenated waters. Most of the species live in the shallow waters of the marine platforms, and a large part of their life takes place at the bottom of the sea or in coastal lagoons, which is why they are considered benthic. Other species inhabit the water column, which is why they are considered pelagic. Its dispersal due to marine currents, both adults and larvae, explains why its worldwide distribution is sometimes very wide.
They inhabit the tropics and temperate waters, preferably in rocky areas, they occupy sea grass, mud, sand, beach sands, coral reefs, coastal bottoms, lake bottoms and brackish lagoons, or freshwater, and other bottoms where food abounds, caves, open sea... They also live in fresh running and stagnant waters, on the coast and inland areas, in caves, crevices, irrigation canals, as well as ditches. They usually live in pairs and in large groups, up to thousands of individuals.
Its depth range goes from 4 to 5,800 meters, and its temperature range between -2.03 and 29.16 °C.
They are distributed in all seas and oceans, except in the polar regions, with species that are located on the edges of these regions.
Food
They are omnivorous species, feeding on decaying plant matter, algae, microscopic crustaceans, carrion, animal remains, and fish remains. Several species are considered cleaner shrimp, which generally feed on parasites and dead tissue of fish that are allowed to be dewormed, shrimp sometimes flocking to help infected fish. These cleaner species can even enter the mouth, and even the gill cavity, without being eaten by fish or moray eels.
Playback
Several species of Caridae are hermaphrodites, and the fact that some species are primarily male, protandry, and then, when they age and the appropriate circumstances of hierarchy and/or sexual relationship occur, become female.
Caridae share many characteristics, for example, fertilized eggs are incubated by the female, and remain attached to pleopods (lit. "swimming legs") until they hatch.
Comparison with similar species
| The differences between crabs, lobsters and shrimp | ||
|---|---|---|
 crabs |  locusts |  shrimp |
| Crabs don't look like shrimp. Unlike shrimps, your abdomen is small, and have short antennas and a short shell that is wide and flat. It emphasizes its way of using the clamps, its front torque of the extremities, as a method of defense. The crabs are adapted to walk in the seabed, have sturdy legs, and usually move down the seabed to the sides. Their pleods use them for intrusion, or they have nests of eggs, and not for swimming. While shrimp and lobsters escape from predators, crabs cling to the bottom of the sea and bury in the sediments. Compared to shrimp and lobsters, the crab shell is particularly heavy, hard and mineralized. | Lobsters are known as large versions of shrimp. Some of the biggest decapodes are locusts. Like crabs, lobsters have robust legs and are well suited to walk on the seabed, even though they don't walk to the sides. Some species have rudimentary pleopods, which gives them some ability to swim, and like the shrimp, the lobster can flee from predators using their tail, but their main means of locomotive is to use their legs to walk. Lobsters are an intermediate development between shrimp and crabs. | The shrimps are thin, and have a long abdomen. They look a little like small lobsters, and not like crabs. The abdomen of crabs is small and short, while the abdomen of the lobster and shrimp is large and long. The longest abdómens and pleopods represent support for shrimps, which are well suited for swimming. The crab shell is wide and flat, while the shell of the lobsters and shrimp is more cylindrical. Crab antennas are short, while lobster and shrimp antennas are usually long, reaching more than twice the length of the body in some shrimp species. |
The diagram on the right, and the following description, refer primarily to the external anatomy of the common European shrimp, Crangon crangon, as a typical example of a decapod shrimp. The casing that protects the cephalothorax is harder, and thicker, than the shell anywhere else on the shrimp, and is called the carapace. The shell surrounds the gills, through which water is pumped from the mouth. The face, the eyes, the whiskers and the legs start from the shell. The rostrum, which is Latin for beak, looks like a beak or pointed nose on the shrimp's head. It is a rigid front extension of the carapace, and can be used for attack or defense. It can also stabilize the shrimp when swimming backwards. Two googly eyes on stalks sit on either side of the rostrum. These are compound eyes, which have panoramic vision, and are very good at detecting motion. Two pairs of whiskers (antennae) also start from the head. One of these pairs is very long, and can be twice the length of the shrimp, while the other pair is quite short. The antennae have sensors that allow the shrimp to feel where they touch, and also allow them to smell or taste, by sampling the chemicals in the water. Long antennae help the shrimp orient itself in relation to its immediate surroundings, while short antennae help it assess the suitability of prey.
Consumption as food
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Shrimps in their different species are relatively abundant creatures in bodies of fresh or salt water around the world, which makes them an important fishing and food resource.
Practically every country has particular recipes and ways to prepare and consume these crustaceans. If there is any point in common, it is that to consume them they are cooked and that it is common to remove the head, the body shell, the front and rear fins, all parts rich in chitin and therefore indigestible.
It is also common for it to be gutted before consuming it, since in this group of species the intestines are easily recognizable, even before cooking, as a dark line that runs longitudinally along the upper part of the body and tail.
Form of preparation in different parts of the world
- Spain, in the province of Cadiz are traditional shrimp tortilites and shrimp dishes to the chipitilla, cooked (they eat at hand). Also recognized or more are Motril's kiosks.
- Valencian Community, in the regions of La Safor and La Marina Alta is known the dish of shrimp with acelgas as gamba or gambeta amb Bleda.
- The most popular Ecuadorian ceviche is shrimp ceviche.