Marine Invertebrate of the Week: Marbled Shrimp

Marbled shrimp (Saron marmoratus)

Have you ever been snorkeling and looked under coral heads or in the cracks and crevices between coral colonies? Lately, I have been investigating little cracks and I keep finding Marbled shrimp. Unfortunately, I have only found the shrimp on the east side and I want to put a challenge out to all of the avid snorkelers in Waikīkī to try to find the Marbled shrimp in the MLCD.

This individual marbled shrimp, found near the Makai pier, is most likely a female shrimp showing her daytime coloration. Females are commonly known as “Fuller Brush Shrimp” due to the bristles covering their first pair of legs. At night, the shrimp are reddish in color.