Periclimenes magnificus), though the families Alpheidae, Pandalidae, and Stenopodidae (including the banded coral shrimp, Stenopus hispidus) each contain at least one species of cleaner shrimp.[1] The term "cleaner shrimp" is sometimes used more specifically for the family Hippolytidae and the genus Lysmata
.
Cleaner shrimp are so called because they exhibit a
cleaner wrasse
and other cleaner fish attending to client fish.
Shrimp of the genus
caves on the reef and are not associated commensally with other animals.[4] These shrimp assemble around cleaning stations where up to 25 shrimp live in proximity.[4] When a potential client fish swims close to a station with shrimp present, several shrimp perform a "rocking dance," a side-to-side movement. Frequency of rocking increases with hunger.[5] This increase in frequency suggests competition between hungry and sated shrimp.[4] To avoid competition with other cleaners during the day, the shrimp Urocaridella antonbruunii was observed cleaning a sleeping fish at night.[6]
Cleaner shrimps are often included in saltwateraquaria partly due to their cleansing function and partly due to their brightly colored appearance.[7]
