Dwarf Shrimp Anatomy

Quick Reference
Name	Common Names	Use
Abdomen	Tail section	Swimming, holding eggs
Carapace	Head section	Protecting vital organs
Maxillipeds	Claws	Modified legs used for feeding
Pleopods	Swimmerettes	Swimming, holding and fanning eggs
Rostrum	Nose	Defense (mostly useless for dwarf shrimp)
Uropod	Tail	Swimming
Walking Legs	Legs	Walking

More Detail
Name	Details
Abdomen	This section of the dwarf shrimp is the most muscular section of the shrimp. In many shrimp it is nearly see through.
Carapace	The carapace is the strongest section of a dwarf shrimp. The shell on this section is thicker to protect all the shrimp vital organs. All legs, maxillipeds, the rostrum and eyes are attached to the carapace.
Maxillipeds	The maxillipeds are the modified legs that have small claws on the end of them used for eating. In long arm shrimp, one pair of these extends and becomes quite large.
Pleopods	Pleopods are the small swimming legs found on the underside of the Abdomen. These legs are used for swimming through the water column. They are also used by female shrimp to carry and clean eggs until they hatch.
Rostrum	The rostrum is the pointed “nose” on the front of the dwarf shrimp. In some shrimp it is used for defense, but in dwarf shrimp it is nearly useless for this. The Rostrum is one of the most important identifying attributes for many dwarf shrimp.
Uropod	The uropod is the tail section of a dwarf shrimp. This tail allows the shrimp to have a rapid backwards acceleration when flicked using the muscular abdomen.
Walking Legs	Walking legs are exactly what they sound like. They are the legs a dwarf shrimp uses to walk.