Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827)
Giant red shrimp
photo by Belouahem, Samih

Family:  Aristeidae (gamba prawns)
Max. size:  17 cm TL (male/unsexed); 22.5 cm TL (female); max.weight: 45.9 g; max.weight: 85.2 g; max. reported age: 8 years
Environment:  benthopelagic; marine; depth range 60 - 1300 m
Distribution:  Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific. Tropical to temperate.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Deep-water benthopelagic shrimp (Ref. 114287). Common total length: 12 to 16 cm. Minimum common depth from Ref. 8. Usually caught on muddy and sandy bottoms of continental slopes (Ref. 434). Lives on bottom mud (Ref. 8); also on sandy bottoms. Moves to midwater at night (Ref. 409). Carnivorous, feeds mainly on euphausiids and other species of crustaceans, i.e., mainly Natantia sp. (Ref. 434). Has a highly diversified diet (Refs. 97770, 105137), preying on pelagic, benthic and benthopelagic organisms (Ref. 105137); mainly forages on crustaceans and fish. Also scavenges upon carcasses of fish and cephalopods on the bottom (Ref. 97770). Exhibits cannibalism. Values of δ15N ranges from 6.68 and 7.96 in females, and 7.05 and 8.26 in males, with females having higher δ15N with increasing size (Ref. 105135).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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