Candycane shrimp

The Candycane shrimp (Parhippolyte misticia) is a small, captivating marine species found primarily in the Indo-Pacific region, with documented populations in Palau, Okinawa (🇯🇵 Japan) (🇯🇵 Japan), and Western New Britain in Papua 🇵🇬 New Guinea. These shrimps, measuring about 3 to 4 centimeters (approximately 1.2 to 1.6 inches) in length and having a carapace length of about 1 centimeter (0.4 inches), are known for their translucent bodies adorned with vibrant red stripes and their distinct rostrum featuring teeth.

An intriguing aspect of their biology is their reproductive system, which exhibits protandric simultaneous hermaphroditism. Individuals first mature as males and, as they grow larger and older, they also develop female reproductive capabilities while retaining male functions.

The species was initially described in 1989 under the name Koror misticius by Clark and was placed in the monotypic genus Koror, named after Koror Island in Palau, the location where the species was first identified. The specific name "misticius" is derived from the Latin word for "mixed" or "hybrid," highlighting the shrimp's combination of characteristics that are shared with related genera, along with the absence of a singular unique trait. Originally classified within the family of common shrimps (Hippolytidae), the genus Koror was synonymized with the genus Parhippolyte in 1996 during the description of Parhippolyte cavernicola.