A thick, rigid, stony carapace with short hairs that cover body and appendages. Their bodies may appear red-pink/orange to reddish-brown/tan with vertical red and white stripes down the sides of their carapaces. A brown rock shrimp’s carapace is covered in transverse grooves and nodules. The legs may appear red with white striping. Antennas shorter than length of body.
Average Maximum Size:
15.24 cm (6in)
Adults Distinguishing Characteristics:
Rock shrimp are similar in size and shape to penaeid shrimp. However, their distinguishing characteristic is their thick, rigid, stony shell.
Juveniles Distinguishing Characteristics:
Range:
Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat:
Found on sandy bottoms in deeper water than other shrimp species. Active at night and burrow in the sand during daytime. Larval rock shrimp grow and develop in coastal estuaries and travel to offshore areas as they mature.
