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Next article FreeAbout the CoverPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreCoverThe iridescent spots on this shrimp give it a striking appearance. The body is reddish brown, and its yellowish white spots are bordered by thin white and blue bands. Unfortunately, no explanation has been identified for such astonishing coloration. The shrimp, Thor amboinensis, is a symbiotic species found living with a variety of hosts in tropical regions of the world. Although a symbiotic lifestyle in which dissimilar organisms live together is a major environmental adaptation in marine invertebrates, including crustaceans, little research has been conducted on the behavioral ecology of symbiotic species. This is true for T. amboinensis, even though it is an important ornamental species in the aquarium trade.Baeza and Piantoni (pp. 151–165) studied the sexual system of Thor amboinensis in the Caribbean, using a comprehensive approach that included dissections, scanning electron microscopy, analysis of size-frequency distribution, and laboratory experiments. Field observations demonstrated that T. amboinensis most commonly inhabits the large sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus. As many as 11 shrimp were seen living in a single anemone, but the groups exhibited no particular social structure. The authors found that the individuals of this species are protandric hermaphrodites—first maturing as males and later turning into and remaining females. The adult sex ratio was male-biased in four studied populations, one of them thousands of kilometers distant from the others.These observations on the natural history of Thor amboinensis support predictions central to theories of resource monopolization and sex allocation. The species has the potential to become a model system for marine behavioral ecology.Credits: Cover photo, Teguh Tirtaputra; cover design, Beth Liles, Marine Biological Laboratory. Next article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 219, Number 2October 2010 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv219n2cover Views: 48 © 2010 by Marine Biological Laboratory. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.