The High Tailed Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is a very small shrimp species that belongs to the ‘hump-backed’ shrimp family Hippolytidae. Hump-backed shrimps are characterised by having a distinctively humped abdomen – hence hump is how the shrimp family got its name. They are distributed around the tropical waters of the Indo West Pacific including locations such as Papua New Guinea and northern Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef. It is also found in the Caribbean. This species was named after the island of Ambon in Indonesia.
The High Tailed Shrimp is found around small anemones and can be found on rocky and coral reefs and amongst coral rubble. This species is commonly found in close association with the beaded sea anemones (Heteractis aurora) and they can also be found on other anemone species including tube anemones. This species can be recognised by it’s white eyes and the white spots that are found on the body. The High Tailed Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) grows to a maximum length of approximately 2cm.
