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Pandalus danae
Common Name: The Coonstripe Shrimp
Description:
This large, stout shrimp has a milky, translucent background with irregular brown stripes and spots along its dorsal and lateral somites (segments) of the abdomen and telson (anal segment). The dorsal surface also has fine red spots. The antennae are long and heavily banded. Its distinguishing features are fine blue spots on the cardiac region of the carapace (dorsal plate), lack of pubescence (fine hairs) on carapace, a trifid (ending in three points) rostrum (head spine) and conical eyes.
Size:
A mature female ranges from 123 to 140mm long, and achieves a height of 32mm.
Range:
It ranges from Alaska to central California.
Habitat:
Larvae of shrimp develop as free swimmers between the depths of 18 and 54m but settle on benthos as they mature. They prefer rocky, sandy and gravel bottoms between the depths of 22 and 64m. They are also common in shallow water bays and inlets (especially around docks).
Life History:
Coonstripe shrimp live for 3 years. The eggs hatch in early spring (March, April) and are followed by five larval stages that end in June. In the larval stages the shrimp is a free swimmer but ends development as a bottom dweller. Each individual starts its life cycle as male and breeds come its first fall. By its second spring, the shrimp becomes female and again breeds come fall. After breeding as a female, the shrimp holds its fertilized eggs on abdomen until hatching come spring.
Natural History:
Pandalus danae is carnivorous whose diet mainly consists of mysids, amphipods, and polychaete worms. Its main predators are lingcod and humans who exploit the shrimp as a major fishery of the Pacific Northwest.
Misidentification:
Pandalus danae is commonly confused with Pandalus stenolepis. The easiest ways to distinguish the two are Pandalus danae's trifid rostrum, and its lack of pubescence.
Additional Resources:
A Bibliography of Shrimps of the Family Pandalidae by J.C. Scrivener
Shrimps of the Pacific Coast of Canada by T.H. Butler
Pacific Coast Crabs and Shrimps by Gregory C. Jensen
Last updated Thursday, August 24, 2006, by Lisa Ferrier
