Marbled Shrimp

Saron marmoratus is a hunch-backed species of shrimp. Its rostrum is slightly longer than its carapace and is strongly recurved, it has 1 or 2 spines on its dorsal margin, followed by 3 or 4 spines on the carapace, and there are 8-10 long spines on the ventral margin of the carapace. The dorsal margin of the carapace and the abdomen have tufts of setae, which are denser in the females. The males have elongated chaelae which are longer than body and the females possess an obvious brush-like structure of setae on the first pair of legs. The legs feature brown or blue transverse bands. They are variable in colour and the ground colour can be red, blue or brown, mottled with brown or green, the legs are marked with blue or brown transverse bans.

Saron marmoratus has an Indo-Pacific distribution. Its distribution extends from the Red Sea south to Madagascar and Mozambique east through the Persian Gulf, India, south east Asia through the southern Pacific, including Australia as far as Hawaii. In 2013 specimens were observed close to underwater caves off the coast of Lebanon, and it is likely that this species has undergone a Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea into the Levantine Sea.

Saron marmoratus is in high demand for the aquarium hobby and fetch good prices in the marine aquarium trade. Specimens on the European market are usually collected from the Red Sea, while those for sale in North America are collected in Hawaii.