At a glance
Data from the scientific sources listed at the bottom.
Depth in the wild
20–30 m
Size
up to 5.6 cm
the largest of the 12 broodstock measured in a study in Sri Lanka, not a maximum for the species; the Nausicaá aquarium gives about 8 cm
Conservation
IUCN Red List: not evaluated. SeaLifeBase reports no CITES listings 2 and a search for the name in Species+ gives no results. 7 A study in Sri Lanka reports heavy collection pressure on local populations for the aquarium hobby: this is a local assessment. 3
Where it lives
Indo-Pacific: 2 3 5 the coasts of Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan 5 and the Maldives. 6 WoRMS also records the Mascarene Islands and French Polynesia. 1 For Sri Lanka, one study gives the coast from Trincomalee to Puttalam. 3
How to recognise it
Tap a number on the photo: the key explains what to look for.
Life in the wild
What it eats
A carnivore and scavenger: it also eats organic remains and, as a cleaner, parasites and food scraps on reef fish. 6
Reproduction
A hermaphrodite: it is born male, then also develops a female part while keeping the male part functional. 6 In a study in Sri Lanka, at 28-30 °C, the specimens spawned every 11-13 days, always at night, with an average of 845 larvae per spawning. 3 In rearing the larvae take 50-158 days to become juveniles, depending on conditions. 3 4
In the aquarium
From the experience of the BallingMania community.
An animal suitable for reef and community tanks; in the tank it often forms pairs. The body is bright red, with white dots standing out on it that echo the colour of the antennae. They are excellent detritus eaters and get used to any kind of food. During the day they prefer to shelter in the cavities of the rockwork, coming out into the open as soon as they spot food. When feeding they bother LPS less than other Lysmata species do. Like other animals, they provide an excellent service to fish, removing parasites and bits of dead skin. In the tank they breed regularly, releasing clouds of larvae that (unfortunately) are extremely difficult to raise to adulthood.
What studies say about keeping it
In a study in Sri Lanka in 108-litre tanks, at 28-30 °C, larvae reached the juvenile stage in 50-90 days with 12.7-18.4% survival, among the best results reported by the authors. Other work cited in the study gives 75-158 days. 3 In an American study, adding DHA to live prey did not improve growth or survival; adding minced shrimp muscle to live prey brought survival to about 9.8%. 4 Low survival and the long larval life remain the main obstacle. 3 The Nausicaá aquarium keeps the species. 6
Did you know?
Sources
- WoRMS Editorial Board (2026). Lysmata debelius Bruce, 1983. World Register of Marine Species.
- SeaLifeBase (2026). Lysmata debelius. SeaLifeBase.
- Hettiarachchi H.A.S.U., Edirisinghe U. (2016). Captive breeding of fire shrimp (Lysmata debelius) under Sri Lankan conditions. Tropical Agricultural Research.
- Palmtag M.R., Holt G.J. (2007). Experimental Studies to Evaluate Larval Survival of the Fire Shrimp, Lysmata debelius, to the Juvenile Stage. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society.
- Chen J., Xian C., Luo Y., Lin M. (2021). Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Lysmata debelius (Decapoda: Hippolytidae). Mitochondrial DNA Part B: Resources.
- Nausicaá (2026). Scarlet cleaner shrimp. Nausicaá, Centre National de la Mer.
- UNEP-WCMC (2026). Search for Lysmata debelius in the CITES lists. Species+.
Sources checked on 5 November 2026. Community texts and ratings are kept separate from the scientific data.
