Palaemonidae is a familyofshrimp in the order Decapoda. Many species are carnivores that eat small invertebrates, and can be found in any aquatic habitat except the deep sea. One significant genus is Macrobrachium, which contains commercially fished species. Others inhabit coral reefs, where they associate with certain invertebrates, such as sponges, cnidarians, mollusks, and echinoderms, as cleaner shrimps, parasites, or commensals. They generally feed on detritus, though some are carnivores and hunt tiny animals.[1]
| Palaemonidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Periclimenes pedersoni, a cleaner shrimp | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Caridea |
| Superfamily: | Palaemonoidea |
| Family: | Palaemonidae Rafinesque, 1815 |
| Synonyms | |
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The family contains more than 1200 species in 160 genera.[2][3][4] The genera were formerly split into two subfamilies, but in 2015, molecular and morphological research determined that the subfamily groupings were invalid. At the same time, the members of the families Gnathophyllidae and Hymenoceridae were incorporated into the Palaemonidae.[5][6]
The following genera are recognised:[7]
Some of the genera were formerly placed in the family Gnathophyllidae,[8] which is no longer recognized.[7] These shrimp were often associated with echinoderms,[9] and consisted of about 14 species in five genera:[3]
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Media related to Palaemonidae at Wikimedia Commons