Description

Cleaner Skunk Shrimp (Lysmata) is a genus of shrimp in the infraorder Caridea, the caridean shrimp. The genus now belongs to the family Hippolytidae, but recent cladistic analysis suggests it should be included in its former family, Lysmatidae. Cleaner Skunk Shrimp are popular ornamental shrimp in the marine aquarium trade for their bright color patterns, interesting behaviors, and ability to control certain aquarium pests such as sea anemones of the genus Aiptasia.

The genus is informally divided into two main categories: Some species are Cleaner Shrimp which “clean” parasites and other material from fish, live in pairs, and are brightly colored, often in contrasting reds and yellows with white antennae.
Other species are the “Peppermint Shrimp“, which have semi-translucent, red-banded bodies, and live in large groups. Some peppermint shrimp perform cleaning behaviors, but less actively than do the cleaner shrimp.