Under construction.
Many people get confused with this shrimp as there are so many different forms it can take. I hope this guide will explain this shrimp in detail.
Bee phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
The Bee phenotype exists in the wild in southern China and Hong Kong.
Across its body it has broad black bands and irregular white bands, and its ‘head’ and ‘tail’ typically have an orange tinge.
Black Bee phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
The Black Bee shrimp is the result of artificial selection of the Bee shrimp to achieve thicker black and white colouration. This shrimp has grading systems identical to those of the Red Bee shrimp.
This strain has a much greater proportion of white than the wild Bee and has a more regimented pattern. Most Black Bee shrimp have an orange tinge on their head and tail.
The term ‘Crystal Black’ is used synonymously with ‘Black Bee’, as well as just ‘Bee’ (rather ambiguously).
White Bee phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
Red Bee phenotype (Crystal Red)
In the wild Bee shrimp population an uncommon recessive allele existed for red colouration rather than black. Individuals that had two of these alleles expressed the red colouration and were selected for breeding to create a pure stable strain of red Bee shrimp (hence the name Red Bee). These were then artificially selected for a higher proportion of white and deeper, thicker colouration. Those with a higher proportion of white are considered of a higher grade.
The first Red Bee shrimp were low grade and similar in appearance to the wild Bee shrimp, and it is these shrimp that were copyrighted as Crystal Red shrimp. It is for this reason that the term ‘Crystal Red’ is only suitable to describe pure low graded Red Bee shrimp, whereas the term ‘Red Bee’ can be used for any grade of this phenotype. Despite this, the terms are used synonymously.
PRL
Image and shrimp of GEM (rosso_scuderia@hotmail.com from Thailand)
Gold Bee phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
Image and shrimp of GEM (rosso_scuderia@hotmail.com from Thailand)
This shrimp is also called the Snow White shrimp, although this typically refers to individuals with higher quality white colouration.
Taiwan Bee phenotypes (Shadow Bee)
The term ‘Taiwan Bee shrimp’ encompasses a small group of shrimp that express new phenotypes due to the presence of two recessive Taiwan Bee alleles: the Wine Red shrimp, the Red Ruby shrimp, the Panda shrimp, the King Kong shrimp and the Blue Bolt shrimp (and other Bolt colour variations). This allele is a new mutation that supposedly arose in Taiwan, hence the name. Many speculate that the mixing of Gold Bee genetics with Red and Black Bee genetics somehow resulted in this mutation, as Taiwan breeders notoriously mixed Gold Bees with Red and Black Bees. There is also speculation that Tiger shrimp genetics are involved.
Black Taiwan Bee phenotype
Image and shrimp of GEM (rosso_scuderia@hotmail.com from Thailand)
The Panda and King Kong shrimp are both black and white, and are the same strain. They are differentiated by the proportion of white colouration. In simplified terms, a large amount of white indicates a Panda and a small amount of white indicates a King Kong shrimp. Their non-’Taiwan Bee’ parallel is the Black Bee shrimp.
Occasionally, green-tinged and blue ‘Black Taiwan’s are produced in populations.
Red Taiwan Bee phenotype
The Wine Red and Red Ruby shrimp are both deep red and white, and follow the same convention as above, with Wine Red replacing Panda and Red Ruby replacing King Kong. They are also often referred to as ‘Red Panda’ and ‘Red [King] Kong’. Also, recently, ‘Wine Red’ and ‘Red Ruby’ have been used to indicate deeper red colouration and brighter red colouration respectively. Their non-’Taiwan Bee’ parallel is the Red Bee shrimp.
The red colouration of these shrimp does vary, and can even be two-toned.
(Blue) Bolt phenotype
The Blue Bolt shrimp ranges from white with blue cheeks to a full-body blue colouration. Their non-’Taiwan Bee’ parallel is the Gold Bee shrimp.
As there is a graduation from pure white to pure blue with these shrimp, it is disputed as to at what point the shrimp is no longer considered a ‘Snow White’ shrimp but a ‘Blue Bolt’ instead. Red Bolt shrimp are now being bred, and other colours are rumoured.
This phenotype in particular suffers from inbreeding as it is the most recessive of all Caridina cf. cantonensis.
Tiger phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
The Tiger phenotype exists in the wild in southern China.
Its body is transparent, often with an orange tinge to the rostrum and uropods, with slim black bands across the body.
This species is sometimes described as Caridina serrata, but its ability to hybridise with Caridina cantonensis to give fertile offspring it is suggests it is the same species.
Supertiger phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
The Supertiger phenotype exists in the wild in southern China.
Its appearance can be described as a more extreme version of the Tiger phenotype. Its rostrum and uropods are always a strong yellow-orange colour, and its antennae have red colouration at the base. In addition, the Supertiger phenotype has thicker black banding.
This species is sometimes described as Caridina serrata, but its ability to hybridise with Caridina cantonensis to give fertile offspring it is suggests it is the same species.
Red Tiger phenotype
The Red Tiger phenotype exists in the wild in southern China.
This phenotype has a very similar appearance to the Tiger phenotype but with red banding instead of black.
This species is sometimes described as Caridina serrata, but its ability to hybridise with Caridina cantonensis to give fertile offspring it is suggests it is the same species.
Blue Tiger phenotype
Image thanks to Imke of Shrimp-attack.com
Black Tiger phenotype
Tigerbee phenotypes
Atyidae 