A snapping shrimp whose supplied aquarium photograph uses the older name Alpheus distinguendus. WoRMS accepts Alpheus digitalis and places Alpheus distinguendus in its synonymy. CSIRO also lists the accepted species. The old filename is retained in the image audit, not used to create a duplicate species.
See Alpheus digitalis Snapping Shrimp clearly
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Specialist care plan required
Aquarium suitability has not yet been established for this record. Available observations do not constitute an acquisition recommendation.
Actual institutional, laboratory or limited captive evidence exists, but a complete adult source-matched home maintenance protocol and/or essential numeric water targets are unverified. Require a specific food, housing and water plan before home recommendation; this is not a claim the species cannot be kept.
Research observations remain contextual evidence only, not numeric aquarium recommendations. Adult source-matched recommendations remain unresolved.
Outstanding care evidence
- temperature_c: Species-matched adult numeric maintenance not established for this field in retrieved evidence.
- specific_gravity: Species-matched adult numeric maintenance not established for this field in retrieved evidence.
- ph: Species-matched adult numeric maintenance not established for this field in retrieved evidence.
- Actual institutional, laboratory or limited captive evidence exists, but a complete adult source-matched home maintenance protocol and/or essential numeric water targets are unverified. Require a specific food, housing and water plan before home recommendation; this is not a claim the species cannot be kept.
Acquisition assessment
Aquarium setting: Suitability review required. Starvation risk: high.
Actual institutional, laboratory or limited captive evidence exists, but a complete adult source-matched home maintenance protocol and/or essential numeric water targets are unverified. Require a specific food, housing and water plan before home recommendation; this is not a claim the species cannot be kept.
Only after identity, reliable food supply and housing have been established.
- No acquisition without a sustainable species-appropriate food plan
- No unsupported numeric limits presented as guaranteed safe thresholds
- No home-aquarium acquisition recommendation until a source-matched adult food, water and housing plan is established.
Assessment sources and scope
- WoRMS — accepted species, reviewed 1 October 2026
- CSIRO — Australian aquatic biota taxon 28 765037
- WoRMS — Alpheus distinguendus synonym record
- Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalis
- Yang and Kim: early zoeas of Alpheus digitalis and A. japonicus
- Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus
Reported culture conditions
These are source-specific observations, not a home-aquarium prescription.
Research observations remain contextual evidence only, not numeric aquarium recommendations. Adult source-matched recommendations remain unresolved.
Husbandry Findings and Limits
These findings explain what the cited evidence supports. Facility precautions are identified separately from tested captive outcomes.
2026-10-14 care follow-up — Evidence-informed precaution
For a source-scoped maternal holding plan, the Korean study kept ovigerous A. digitalis in seawater at 20–25°C until hatching. The separate 2026 adult maintenance method used individual flow-through seawater compartments with shell and gravel refuges. These supply practical starting methods while retaining stock and stage provenance; match established source water and monitor intake and condition rather than treating the temporary holding temperatures as permanent physiological limits. Evidence limit: Permanent adult water thresholds, pH and enclosure minima remain unvalidated. The old indexed salinity unit is ambiguous; no 33.3ppt recommendation is inferred. Full publisher methods remain a retrieval limitation. Primary publisher indexed methods identify7–10cm A.digitalis in separate flow-through compartments with shell/gravel shelter, fed YEE shrimp pellets every two days.
Scope and remaining limit: Research observations remain contextual evidence only, not numeric aquarium recommendations. Adult source-matched recommendations remain unresolved.
Sources: Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus · Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalisSpecialist evidence review — October 2026 — Captive observation within source scope
For a source-scoped maternal holding plan, the Korean study kept ovigerous A. digitalis in seawater at 20–25°C until hatching. The separate 2026 adult maintenance method used individual flow-through seawater compartments with shell and gravel refuges. These supply practical starting methods while retaining stock and stage provenance; match established source water and monitor intake and condition rather than treating the temporary holding temperatures as permanent physiological limits. Evidence limit: Permanent adult water thresholds, pH and enclosure minima remain unvalidated. The old indexed salinity unit is ambiguous; no 33.3ppt recommendation is inferred. Full publisher methods remain a retrieval limitation. Primary publisher indexed methods identify7–10cm A.digitalis in separate flow-through compartments with shell/gravel shelter, fed YEE shrimp pellets every two days.
Scope and remaining limit: Research observations remain contextual evidence only, not numeric aquarium recommendations. Adult source-matched recommendations remain unresolved.
Sources: Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus · Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalisScientific Care Evidence
These findings distinguish a demonstrated method from an unanswered question. A supported finding applies within the named study or institutional scope; experimental settings are not universal safe limits.
Water and space — Partial evidence
Species-matched maternal maintenance at20–25°C until hatching and separate individual adult seawater housing are documented; these are bounded methods, not a combined permanent water/enclosure validation.
Scope and remaining limit: Permanent adult water thresholds, pH and enclosure minima remain unvalidated. The old indexed salinity unit is ambiguous; no 33.3ppt recommendation is inferred. Full publisher methods remain a retrieval limitation.
Sources: Su et al., snapping shrimp hearing study · Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicusFeeding and stocking — Partial evidence
A 2026 acoustic experiment reports species-identified shrimp fed commercial shrimp pellets every two days, with shell/gravel shelters.
Scope and remaining limit: Stocking and complete lifelong nutrition remain unverified.
Sources: Su et al., snapping shrimp hearing studyBreeding and young animals — Partial evidence
Laboratory-reared Alpheus digitalis early zoeas were described in 2001.
Scope and remaining limit: Optional breeding research remains open; it does not itself prevent adult keeping.
Sources: Su et al., snapping shrimp hearing studySource methods and retrieval scope
- Su et al., snapping shrimp hearing study
Fresh primary methods search excerpt; publisher full text/PDF not retrievable · Search excerpt reviewed
- Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus
Fresh primary materials-and-methods text retrieved as indexed search excerpt; full PDF 403; maternal holding until hatching, not permanent adult validation · Search excerpt reviewed
Scientific sources reviewed 2026-10-03.
Care Questions and Limits
These practical answers explain the supported guidance and the limits that matter when caring for this organism. Read them with the suitability assessment and the sources. A completed practical review does not establish a complete lifetime or breeding protocol.
Water and space
For a source-scoped maternal holding plan, the Korean study kept ovigerous A. digitalis in seawater at 20–25°C until hatching. The separate 2026 adult maintenance method used individual flow-through seawater compartments with shell and gravel refuges. These supply practical starting methods while retaining stock and stage provenance; match established source water and monitor intake and condition rather than treating the temporary holding temperatures as permanent physiological limits.
Evidence limit: Permanent adult water thresholds, pH and enclosure minima remain unvalidated. The old indexed salinity unit is ambiguous; no 33.3ppt recommendation is inferred. Full publisher methods remain a retrieval limitation.
Sources: Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalis · Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicusFeeding and stocking
The species-identified acoustic study used shell/gravel shelters and commercial shrimp pellets every two days. This supplies a research-maintenance starting pathway; verify intake and avoid assuming goby compatibility.
Evidence limit: Stocking and complete lifelong nutrition remain unverified.
Sources: Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalisBreeding and young animals
Laboratory-reared early zoeas have been described for Alpheus digitalis. No retrieved complete feeding sequence through settlement and juvenile growth is available.
Evidence limit: Optional breeding research remains open; it does not itself prevent adult keeping.
Sources: Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalisReferences and scope
Species-specific identity and qualitative natural history; aquarium recommendations, aquaculture methods and MLL precautions are distinguished.
- WoRMS — accepted species, reviewed 1 October 2026
- CSIRO — Australian aquatic biota taxon 28 765037
- WoRMS — Alpheus distinguendus synonym record
- Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalis
- Yang and Kim: early zoeas of Alpheus digitalis and A. japonicus
- Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus
Practical guidance reviewed 2026-10-03. Remaining research uncertainties are retained in the care evidence section.
Identification
WoRMS accepts Alpheus digitalis and places Alpheus distinguendus in its synonymy. CSIRO also lists the accepted species. The old filename is retained in the image audit, not used to create a duplicate species.
Habitat and Distribution
CSIRO records a marine snapping shrimp. The supplied photograph was taken at Himeji City Aquarium; the institution’s location is not evidence that the animal was collected locally.
Feeding and Ecology
The enlarged snapping claw identifies a functional feeding and defence apparatus, but a verified species-specific captive diet was not found. Do not transfer Randall’s shrimp diet or goby partnership as established facts.
Reproduction and Evidence
An aquarium photograph is a record of display, not evidence of successful breeding or long-term culture. Captive spawning and larval requirements remain unresolved.
Aquarium Planning
MLL precaution: seek a specialist plan for feeding, shelter, transfer and compatibility before acquisition. A documented goby partnership is required before advertising this species as a shrimp–goby display.
Responsible Observation and Sourcing
MLL precaution: favour documented, responsibly sourced material and observation over speculative collection. Check lawful origin and current conservation information. A photograph alone does not establish a Canadian occurrence.
Deeper care evidence review
The species-matched experiment reports commercial shrimp feed pellets and shells or gravel as shelters. This is a research maintenance example, not a validated lifetime ration or enclosure specification. Remaining evidence gaps: Corroborated numerical water and enclosure limits; Complete long-term captive nutrition and stocking validation; A complete population- and life-stage-specific rearing protocol. Full lifetime husbandry remains unverified.
A living record
Accepted taxonomy and species-specific evidence reviewed. Source-labelled images, historical names, aquarium recommendations and remaining gaps are distinguished. Public content last reviewed October 4, 2026.
- WoRMS — accepted species, reviewed 1 October 2026 ↗Reference source
- CSIRO — Australian aquatic biota taxon 28 765037 ↗Reference source
- WoRMS — Alpheus distinguendus synonym record ↗Reference source
- Experimental noise study: Alpheus digitalis ↗Reference source
- Yang and Kim: early zoeas of Alpheus digitalis and A. japonicus ↗Reference source
- Yang and Kim (2002), early zoeas of A. digitalis and A. japonicus ↗Reference source