I have caught this specimen (Palaemon adspesus, see attaching file) with a small trap located in a depth of 1 meter. Substrate represented mix of hard and soft ones (big and small stones composed approximately 40% and sand with clay 50% of the bottom) with domination of green filomentous algae (Cladophora glomerata) which constituted 60% of the total bottom vegetation. Specimen was approx. 6 cm long from rostrum till telson that means it was a long-living one. Examination of epiphyte under stereomicroscope revealed common filomentous brown algae – Pilayella litoralis.
The main question appeared: is it evidence of adaptation or only sporadic fenomena of old shrimp specimen that was not able to clean itself accordingly (plus strategy for hiding beneath stones and relatively small mobility that promoted algal spores to attach and grow upon shrimp exoskeleton)?
Just to share as I'm not specifically working with Crustacea. In a tropical muddy estuary I've been working for 3 consecutive years collecting Bivalve, I used to came across small shrimps 5-7cm length with quite dark greenish stuff in its rostral and thoracal areas, seemed crusty - not swaying like those in your pictures. Unfortunately I have never examined them, sorry.
Thank you!
It seems that a phenomenon of epyphites on crustacean exoskeleton is less common in temperate seas such as Baltic. But maybe climate change will bring some corrections; anyway it is also unclear which factors have facilitated the growth of these epiphytes on not very stable substrate as shrimp body is.
I suggest you or somebody should investigate that. I worked that out in Central Java Indonesia
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