Alaskan Pink Shrimp

Geographical Range: In the Pacific, from the Sea of Japan and Korea to the Columbia River. The very similar species, P. borealis, is found In the Atlantic from Maine to Scandinavia and around Greenland

Depth Range: Subtidal. 16-1380 m depth. Common in this area from 50-90 m depths

As with other pandalids, the pereopods have no exopodites. The first pereopod is not chelate. The carpus of pereopod 2 is subdivided into many units. The rostrum is prominent and has movable dorsal spines. Pandalus borealis has a first antenna only slightly longer than the carapace. The rostrum arches near the eyes, the distal end curves upward, and the tip is bifid. Dorsal spines are found all along the rostrum, including on the distal half. All but the most distal dorsal rostral spines are movable. The body is slender and compressed. Abdominal segment 3 has a median dorsal ridge with a spine definitely anterior to the posterior margin of the segment and another spine at the posterior margin. Abdominal segment 4 also has a mid-dorsal spine on the posterior margin. The telson is narrow, tapers to a blunt tip, and has 6-10 pairs of dorsolateral spines. The uropods are usually slightly shorter than the telson. The color is a translucent pinkish hue with darker regions largely caused by numerous fine red dots over the entire body. The red dots are especially concentrated on the dorsal surface and ventral margin of the carapace, the distal part of the rostrum, and the dorsal abdomen especially on segments 3-6. Total length: Males to 12 cm, females to 15 cm.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: Pandalus jordani has similar coloration and morphology but has at most a rounded posterodorsal margin on abdominal segment 3 and no posterodorsal spine on segment 4. Most other pandalids such as P. danae do not have dorsal spines that continue out onto the distal half of the rostrum, plus have more striped coloration. P. platyceros has dorsal spines on the distal half of the rostrum but has white stripes on the carapace and white spots on the abdomen.

Biology/Natural History: Diet is largely small crustaceans. Pandalids capture their prey by trapping it among their legs. Predators include dogfish, Pacific cod, hake, and turbot. Parasites include the isopod Bopyroides hippolytes and the rhizocephalan barnacle Sylon hippolytes. This species is a protandric hermaphrodite. Larvae hatch in March and April and remain pelagic for 6 instars before settling to the bottom. Become sexually mature at about 18 months at a carapace length of 1.6 cm. At that time there is about a 50/50 ratio of males to females. Breed in mid-November. Females carry eggs through the winter. In their second spring most males turn into females. By 30 months all individuals are females and average just over 2 cm carapace length. Live about 3-4 years. Has been an important commercially harvested shrimp in British Columbia and Alaska.

Soft bottoms