Sitka shrimp (Heptacarpus sitchensis): The Sitka shrimp is a common intertidal species found in a variety of habitats. Variable in color, the common eelgrass form usually has a bright green abdomen. Specimens found in rocky areas are mainly transparent. One feature that is very common in all color forms are the fine, diagonal stripes on the sides of the carapace.
Heptacarpus sitchensis is similar to and may be synonymous with
California coastal shrimp (Heptacarpus paludicola) but differs from that species in having epipods only of the first walking leg rather than the first two. See notes under
California coastal shrimp (Heptacarpus paludicola). One interesting feature of the Sitka shrimp is that it has a relatively high rate of infection by the abdominal parasite
Hemiarthrus abdominalis. This isopod infects a wide variety of hippolytid shrimps, but is uncommon except for on
H. sitchensis which may exhibit a 20% infection rate or higher.
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Sitka shrimp (Heptacarpus sitchensis)
