Tozeuma carolinense

Tozeuma carolinense
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Caridea
Family:	Hippolytidae
Genus:	Tozeuma
Species:	T. carolinense
Binomial name
	Tozeuma carolinense; Kingsley, 1878

Tozeuma carolinense, commonly known as the arrow shrimp or the seagrass arrow shrimp, is a species of shrimp in the family Hippolytidae.

Description

T. carolinense has a long slender body that can grow up to 5 cm (2 in) long. Similar to other species in the genus Tozeuma, the rostrum of T. carolinense is long and sharp. The upper surface of the rostrum is smooth, while the lower surface is toothed. The carapace is somewhat translucent and colored green, white, red, brown, or purple.

Distribution

T. carolinense can be found throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the East Coast of the United States. However, the shrimp is less common north of Cape Hatteras.

Ecology

T. carolinense is a cryptic species through both form and behavior. The slender body and colorations allow the shrimp to blend with seagrass. When threatened by predators, the shrimp will avoid the predator and align itself with seagrass. Often even when disturbed, the shrimp will remain motionless to continue blending in with the environment.

References

1 2 3 Ruppert, Edward E.; Fox, Richard S. (1988). Seashore animals of the Southeast: a guide to common shallow-water invertebrates of the southeastern Atlantic Coast. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-87249-535-7.
1 2 "Arrow shrimp, Tozeuma carolinense". txmarspecies.tamug.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Tozeuma carolinense Kingsley, 1878". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
1 2 3 4 Gosner, Kenneth L.; Peterson, Roger Tory (2014). Atlantic Seashore: A Field Guide to Sponges, Jellyfish, Sea Urchins, and More. Peterson Field Guides. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-618-00209-2.
↑ Voss, Gilbert L. (1956). "Protective Coloration and Habitat of the Shrimp Tozeuma Carolinensis Kingsley, (Caridea: Hippolytidae)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 6 (4): 359–363.
↑ Main, Kevan L. (1987). "Predator Avoidance in Seagrass Meadows: Prey Behavior, Microhabitat Selection, and Cryptic Coloration". Ecology. 68 (1): 170–180. doi:10.2307/1938817. ISSN 1939-9170. JSTOR 1938817.

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[:0-1] 1 2 3 Ruppert, Edward E.; Fox, Richard S. (1988). Seashore animals of the Southeast: a guide to common shallow-water invertebrates of the southeastern Atlantic Coast. Columbia, S.C: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-87249-535-7.

[:1-2] 1 2 "Arrow shrimp, Tozeuma carolinense". txmarspecies.tamug.edu. Archived from the original on 2022-05-18. Retrieved 2025-11-26.

[3] "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Tozeuma carolinense Kingsley, 1878". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-09-26.

[:2-4] 1 2 3 4 Gosner, Kenneth L.; Peterson, Roger Tory (2014). Atlantic Seashore: A Field Guide to Sponges, Jellyfish, Sea Urchins, and More. Peterson Field Guides. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-618-00209-2.

[5] Voss, Gilbert L. (1956). "Protective Coloration and Habitat of the Shrimp Tozeuma Carolinensis Kingsley, (Caridea: Hippolytidae)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 6 (4): 359–363.

[6] Main, Kevan L. (1987). "Predator Avoidance in Seagrass Meadows: Prey Behavior, Microhabitat Selection, and Cryptic Coloration". Ecology. 68 (1): 170–180. doi:10.2307/1938817. ISSN 1939-9170. JSTOR 1938817.