''Atyopsis'' is a genus of

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

shrimp Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are ref ...

from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

. It was erected in 1983 by Fenner A. Chace, Jr. for two species formerly treated in the genus ''

Atya ''Atya'' is a genus of freshwater shrimp of the family Atyidae, ranging through the Antilles and along the Atlantic and Pacific slopes of Central and South America and in western Africa. It contains the following species: *'' Atya abelei'' Felg ...

''. It differs from ''Atya'' by various characters, including the form of the

telson The telson () is the posterior-most division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segment on acco ...

(which is longest at the corners in ''Atyopsis'', but not in ''Atya'') and the presence of a "massive spur" on the male third

pereiopod The decapod ( crustaceans such as a crab, lobster, shrimp or prawn) is made up of 20 body segments grouped into two main body parts: the cephalothorax and the pleon (abdomen). Each segment may possess one pair of appendages, although in variou ...

. The genus comprises two species, '' Atyopsis spinipes'' and ''

Atyopsis moluccensis ''Atyopsis'' is a genus of freshwater shrimp from Southeast Asia. It was erected in 1983 by Fenner A. Chace, Jr. for two species formerly treated in the genus ''Atya''. It differs from ''Atya'' by various characters, including the form of the ...

''. No

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

representatives are known. They are found on high islands from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

to the

Samoan Islands The Samoan Islands ( sm, Motu o Sāmoa) are an archipelago covering in the central South Pacific, forming part of Polynesia and of the wider region of Oceania. Administratively, the archipelago comprises all of the Independent State of Samoa an ...

, and as far north as

Okinawa is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 Square kilometre, km2 (880 sq mi). ...

, as well as on the Asian mainland from the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The two species differ in the number of teeth on the underside of the

rostrum Rostrum may refer to: * Any kind of a platform for a speaker: **dais **pulpit * Rostrum (anatomy), a beak, or anatomical structure resembling a beak, as in the mouthparts of many sucking insects * Rostrum (ship), a form of bow on naval ships * Ros ...

, ''A. spinipes'' having 2–6, while ''A. moluccensis'' has 7–16. When kept in the aquarium this species prefers to have a moderate water flow. This shrimp feeds using its feather like claspers to filter particles from the water. If food is scarce you may find them foraging through the substrate. Like any other crustacean the bamboo shrimp will molt in order to grow. During this process the shrimp is very vulnerable to predation so ample hiding spaces should be provided e.g. small cave structures, dense foliage, etc. Its diet consists of plant and or algae particles.

Species

This genus contains the following species:

References

Atyidae Freshwater crustaceans of Asia {{Caridea-stub