Hippolytidae is a
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of
cleaner shrimp
Cleaner shrimp is a common name for a number of swimming Decapoda, decapod crustaceans that clean other organisms of parasites. Most are found in the family (biology), families Hippolytidae (including the Pacific cleaner shrimp, ''Lysmata amboi ...
, also known as broken-back shrimp or anemone shrimp. The term "broken-back shrimp" also applies to the
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
''
Hippolyte
In Greek mythology, Hippolyta, or Hippolyte (; ''Hippolytē''), was a daughter of Ares and Otrera,Hyginus, ''Fabulae'', 30 queen of the Amazons, and a sister of Antiope and Melanippe. She wore her father Ares' ''zoster'', the Greek word fou ...
'' in particular and "cleaner shrimp" is sometimes applied exclusively to ''
Lysmata amboinensis
''Lysmata amboinensis'' is an omnivore, omnivorous Caridea, shrimp species known by several common names including the Pacific cleaner shrimp. It is considered a cleaner shrimp as eating parasites and dead tissue from fish makes up a large part o ...
''.
Taxonomy
Formerly, the circumscription of the family Hippolytidae included several additional taxa that have now been transferred to
Bythocariidae,
Lysmatidae,
Merguiidae, and
Thoridae. As of June, 2023, there are 16 genera recognised in the family Hippolytidae ''sensu stricto'':
References
Decapod families
{{Caridea-stub