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Caprella mutica - Japanese skeleton shrimp

Current distribution Caprella mutica Schurin, 1935 (747 OBIS-datapoints, 1530 GBIF-datapoints)
The Japanese skeleton shrimp Caprella mutica is native to East Asia, near Japan. Shipping and oyster farming are responsible for the spread of this species in Europe. In 1998, the Japanese skeleton shrimp was observed for the first time in Belgium on buoys off the coast of Zeebrugge. Meanwhile, this animal has spread to other Belgian coastal ports. The species can tolerate substantial variations in temperature and salinity and have an ecologically negative impact through competition with native species.