Crangon nigricauda

The Blacktail Shrimp

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Malacostraca
Subclass Eumalacostraca
Order Decapoda
Suborder Pleocymata
Infraorder Canidae
Family Crangonidae
Genus Crangon
Species nigricauda

Description: About 5 cm in length; carapace is tan in color with tiny white and brown dots; Antennal scale is broad at the tip and projects as far as the rostrum; Antennal scale is shorter than the telson; looks very similar to the other species of Crangon in Puget Sound.

Habitat: Found on sandy substratum.

Natural History: The color of the tail is not always black and can change very quickly. Its diet consists primarily of amphipods. These quick moving shrimp were a challenge to photograph.