First Evidence on the Epiphytic Macroalga Pylaiella Littoralis on the Prawn Palaemon Adspersus

Abstract

In this paper we describe for the first time the presence of the epiphytic Pylaiella littoralis on the phytophilous prawn Palaemon adspersus. The female prawn was caught in an eutrophicated brackish-water coastal habitat (Kopli Bay, eastern Baltic Sea). The epiphyte covered various parts of the shrimp's cuticle, including antennules and limb segments. This phenomenon was not related to the damaged appendages that hindered the prawn from cleaning herself. However, such a camouflage may actually offer the prawn a unique defence against predators.