Biology/Natural History: Live on rocky or sandy/shelly bottoms. Juveniles hide in rock crevices or under algae during the day. Eat polychaetes. The left and right second pereopods are different from one another. The carpus of the left pereopod is divided into about 60 articles, while the right has 18-21. Predators include lingcod and pelagic cormorants. The species are protandrous hermaphrodites (male first, then female). After the female molts in November they mate. The female carries her eggs on the abdomen until April, when they hatch into pelagic larvae. The species can live for up to 3 years.

This moderately large shrimp has the multiarticulated carpus on its second pereopod and the long rostrum characteristic of Pandalids. Its first antenna is only about as long as its carapace. Abdominal segment 3 does not have a median dorsal ridge nor a spine ahead of the posterior edge (photos). The median dorsal spines on the carapace extend to posterior to the middle of the carapace (see photo above). The prominent upcurved rostrum is not as long as in some other pandalid species--less than 1.5x the length of the carapace. The dorsal rostrum spines are movable. The spine on the antennal scale is longer than the lamella (photo). The telson has 6 pairs of small lateral spines (photo). The animal is usually light translucent orange-red or brownish-red with small red and white spots on the sides of the carapace and narrow red longitudinal stripes on the abdomen (but no large white spots as in P. platyceros). Sometimes has electric blue stripes as well (and notice the blue abdominal spots on the individual above--photo). Length to about 14 cm. The rostrum ends in 3 points (trifid). The second abdominal segment has a transverse dorsal groove (photo).

Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone [Pacific part], FAO fishing area 67, North East Pacific, North Pacific

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Geographical Range: Alaska to Monterey, CA

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: Pandalus stenolepis has 3-5 pairs of small lateral spines on the telson and the outer margin of its antennal scale is concave.

Depth range based on 608 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 142 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 220
  Temperature range (°C): 7.150 - 10.151
  Nitrate (umol/L): 6.725 - 27.466
  Salinity (PPS): 31.893 - 33.609
  Oxygen (ml/l): 3.282 - 6.561
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.943 - 2.261
  Silicate (umol/l): 15.658 - 43.852

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 220

Temperature range (°C): 7.150 - 10.151

Nitrate (umol/L): 6.725 - 27.466

Salinity (PPS): 31.893 - 33.609

Oxygen (ml/l): 3.282 - 6.561

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.943 - 2.261

Silicate (umol/l): 15.658 - 43.852
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Depth Range: Adults are just subtidal to 185 m. Juveniles live shallower and may even be low intertidal.

Habitat: Rocky and sandy benthic or often found on docks.

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


There are 4 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.


Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 9
Specimens with Barcodes: 11
Species With Barcodes: 1

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked