Sailor Shrimp

Nauticaris sp.

Systematics: Caridea Family Hippolytidae

Distinguishing Characters:
The rostrum is deep, with two sharp teeth underneath and nine on top in a row running back on to the carapace. The first pair of chelipeds are short and solid and the second pair thin and multisegmented. The maximum length is 60 mm.

Habitat and Distribution:
The species lives on the seafloor from the water’s edge down to 230 m depth across all of the southern coast.

General Biology:
This species is common in museum collections made using dredges but the species has never been named by taxonomists. A similar species lives near subantarctic islands in the Indian Ocean.

Feedback and queries should be sent to the Discovery Centre at Museum Victoria.
Please note, the Discovery Centre can help you only with questions about crustaceans from southeastern Australia. It can not advise on the care of pet hermit crabs or on crustaceans from other regions.