Description 

Carapace: The carapace is red-to-grey brown above and cream below with three cream extensions running obliquely up and back into the brown. The anterior one incorporates a conspicuous “epaulette“ in white and viewed dorsally makes a horseshoe shape with its partner from the other side. 

The other two pale carapace lines continued through the lateral part of the segments of the abdomen as a broken line or a series of spots. There is a short transverse line at each end of the abdominal segments. There is a bold black spot laterally on segment four. 

The legs are red with yellow joints.

The rostrum is brown as are the antennae and antennules.

The pincers are uniformly brown with paler pinkish tips to the pollex and dactyl. 

The tail fan is grey with brown telson and uropods. The distal exopod has a pale outlined black spot. 

Identifying Features

A large shrimp red-brown in colour with very red legs. The prominent pale epaulette mark is useful, particularly as this shrimp’s other markings are usually obscured by silt. 

Nomenclature

Undescribed species, no records apart from ours from the Solomon Islands. We think it may be. part of the Alpheus rapacida complex. It is probably related to the Diagonal Barred Snapping Shrimp. The common name is from Pigpen Bay, one of our favourite muck diving sites on Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands, where this shrimp was common.