DEEP SEA SHRIMPS
November 20, 2019 DEEP SEA SHRIMPS OF THE PHILIPPINES IIThe Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) is issuing a souvenir sheet of five topical issues featuring “Deep Sea Shrimps of the Philippines II” on 21 November at the Green and Wild Expo 2019.
Shrimps are detritivores - living things which consume decomposing animal and plant material. They are invertebrates with exoskeletons which encase their bodies for protection and structure. These shellfish live at different depths of the ocean, and some deep sea shrimp live at depths upwards of 5,000 meters.
The shrimps of the Philippines featured here fall under the order Decapoda. Decapods are crustaceans with ten legs. Mino Nylon Shrimp (Heterocarpussibogae de Man, 1917) are under the same family (Pandalidae) as the Narwhal Soldier Shrimp (PlesionikanarvalFabricius, 1787) and Hayashi’s Nylon Shrimp (HeterocarpushayashiiCrosnier, 1988) as featured on the souvenir sheet. The Domino Shrimp (Parapenaeussextuberculatus Kubo, 1949) are characterized by their bright orange spots on their mostly white body. Their pleopods (swimmerets/swimming legs) are marked by a bright spot on the near middle of each appendage. AcanthephyraarmataA. Milne Edwards, 1881 known as the Brilliant Red Carid, are shrimp known for their intensely hued red carapace. Meanwhile, Rock Shrimp (SicyoniaparajaponicaCrosnier, 2003) are harder shelled than the other shrimps listed here, hence its name. It can be identified for the small darker spots on the dorsal half of its body.
