Who molted?

[TheEngineer]

I have two peppermint shrimp in QT. One of them molted last night... the question is which one!?

I have a suspicion it was the one which was loaded up with eggs when I got it. Is there a way to figure out which one?

 

[Brew12]

I have two peppermint shrimp in QT. One of them molted last night... the question is which one!?

I have a suspicion it was the one which was loaded up with eggs when I got it. Is there a way to figure out which one?

The one that is hiding more!

 

[Zack K]

I have two peppermint shrimp in QT. One of them molted last night... the question is which one!?

I have a suspicion it was the one which was loaded up with eggs when I got it. Is there a way to figure out which one?

Mine molt all the time and I always wondered as well. I have 4 in the tank so it's kind of difficult to tell

 

[TheEngineer]

They were both already fairly translucent. The formerly "pregnant" one still is. The other one looks quite a bit more opaque today. Maybe that one is getting ready to molt?

 

[TheEngineer]

The one that is hiding more!

Well that's what I thought at first too I dropped some food in and they both came running. Now that one did not come out all the way and it used to. That's the one that had the eggs.

EDIT: I was also trying to see if the one was waiting/trying to mate with her since apparently they're only female right after a molt.

 

[Brew12]

EDIT: I was also trying to see if the one was waiting/trying to mate with her since apparently they're only female right after a molt.

I'm pretty sure that all shrimp start out as male and then some change to female after a year or two depending on conditions.

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm pretty sure that all shrimp start out as male and then some change to female after a year or two depending on conditions.

I got that notion from an article in Advanced Aquarist. From it: (emphasis mine)

Once hatching is complete the "mother" shrimp will exit its exoskeleton even as another shrimp is right on top of it waiting for its chance to mate by grabbing the soft-bodied "female phase" shrimp and contacting it crossways from underneath. As simultaneous hermaphrodites, these very same two shrimp may have their male/female roles reversed within so many days to a week as the eggs reach maturity on the adult that had previously enacted the fertilizing male role!

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/aafeature

This is also why I suspect that is the one that molted.

 

[TheEngineer]

Found something more concrete... Looks like we were both right

Lysmata wurdemanni is a protandric simultaneous hermaphrodite. This means that it begins as a male but may later become a hermaphrodite. It has four moults as a male before changing sexes to become a euhermaphrodite. However, under certain conditions some males never change to hermaphrodites. In the euhermaphrodite stage the shrimp act as a male between moults and as a female immediately following a moult.

 

[Brew12]

I got that notion from an article in Advanced Aquarist. From it: (emphasis mine)

Once hatching is complete the "mother" shrimp will exit its exoskeleton even as another shrimp is right on top of it waiting for its chance to mate by grabbing the soft-bodied "female phase" shrimp and contacting it crossways from underneath. As simultaneous hermaphrodites, these very same two shrimp may have their male/female roles reversed within so many days to a week as the eggs reach maturity on the adult that had previously enacted the fertilizing male role!

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/aafeature

This is also why I suspect that is the one that molted.

I just learned something new. When Peppermint shrimp change from male to female, they maintain their male organs in a functioning manner. Marine life is so amazing!

http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~rtb6933/shrimp/hermaph.html

 

[TheEngineer]

I wish the female would just put on a tutu so I could tell which one she is

 

[Brew12]

I wish the female would just put on a tutu so I could tell which one she is

That would be too easy!

Not sure if you found this research paper, but it goes into greater detail on this than I would ever have wanted to read!
http://research.nhm.org/pdfs/31515/31515.pdf

 

[TheEngineer]

That's a loooooooot of detail

 

[TheEngineer]

I feel like it has to be the one that was carrying the eggs. All of these articles say they molt shortly after hatching. That said I'm feeling gunshy about moving the wrong one....

 

[elfda]

I wish the female would just put on a tutu so I could tell which one she is

Just scatter tiny Ms Pacman bows around the tank, lol; there's an idea! [emoji23]

 

[TheEngineer]

This time it is less of a mystery. First I thought I was seeing a mating ritual and then I realized, there appear to be three emerald crabs in my tank. Caught ya!!

Amazing how much bigger it is after molting!

 

[TheEngineer]

Another angle.