Paratya curvirostris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paratya curvirostris |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Paratya
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| Species: |
curvirostris
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The Paratya curvirostris is a special type of freshwater shrimp. It belongs to the Atyidae family. This shrimp is found only in New Zealand. You can find it from the North Island all the way to Stewart Island. It also lives on the Chatham Islands. It's the only true freshwater shrimp in New Zealand.
What Does It Look Like?
Paratya curvirostris shrimp are unique. They have special front claws called chelipeds. These claws have tiny hairs on them. They use these hairs to pick up food.
This shrimp mainly eats tiny bits of food called detritus. It scrapes these bits from water plants like Elodea spp. and milfoils. It uses its claws to bring the food to its mouth. Larger pieces are broken down by its mouthparts. It also enjoys eating small bugs like midges.
Adult shrimp can grow up to 25 millimeters long. That's about one inch! You can tell male and female shrimp apart by looking at their swimming legs, called pleopods. Males have slightly bigger ones.
Life Cycle and Reproduction
Female Paratya curvirostris shrimp can carry many eggs. They might carry up to 4,000 eggs at once! After laying the eggs, the female cleans them. She also uses her swimming legs to create a water flow around them. This helps the eggs get enough oxygen.
In lab tests, the eggs hatched in about 28 days. When they first hatch, the baby shrimp are very tiny. They float around in the water like plankton. They have fewer limbs and body parts at this stage.
Scientists think that these young shrimp might travel to river mouths. They might develop in saltwater for a while. As they grow, they move back up the river or stream. They prefer water that is less salty in their later stages of life.
Where Does It Live?
This shrimp used to be very common in many places. Now, its numbers are lower. It lives in scattered areas. This is mostly because trout were brought into some of these areas. Trout can eat the shrimp. You will rarely find this shrimp living higher than 40 meters (about 130 feet) above sea level.
