The nomenclature of Dwarf Shrimp has been muddy since the beginning of the hobby. Many shrimp have many different common names used in different areas of the world, and some exporters/importers even make up common names to make the nomenclature even more confusing.

For example the common Red Cherry Shrimp goes by many names. Red Cherry Shrimp, Cherry Red Shrimp, Cherry Shrimp, Fire Cherry Shrimp and just Fire Shrimp. That list doesn’t even get into the scientific name Neocaridina heteropoda or Neocaridina denticulata sinensis (var. red) depending on what scientist is correct.

When the Red Cherry Shrimp was first introduced to the American hobby people most commonly referred to them as Cherry Red Shrimp. Then came the Crystal Red Shrimp, that the breeders and hobbyist often referred to as CRS. Well, the CRS label confused many (CRS also could be Cherry Red Shrimp) so the Red Cherry Shrimp quickly became the Cherry Red Shrimp.

Then the name of the Crystal Red Shrimp got confusing. Depending on what region of the world you live in the name could be many different things. From the Red Bee Shrimp to the Red Diamond, some have even referred to it as the Candy Cane Shrimp or the Red Bumble Bee.

That brings us to the Bee Shrimp. The Bee Shrimp is the shrimp the CRS is selectively bred from. It is called the Bee Shrimp, Black Diamond Shrimp, and sometimes the Bumble Bee Shrimp. The only good thing about all this, is all the names refer to a single shrimp species, Ghost Shrimp, well that is a different story!

“Ghost Shrimp” is a name given to a loose group of similarly sized and similarly colored shrimp. This name has been put on shrimp that range from Palaemonetes spp. all the way to Neocaridina spp. and Macrobrachium spp. Some of these shrimp are harmless to other shrimp, fish and plants while some will devastate a community aquarium. In North American the most common “Ghost Shrimp” is the American Glass Shrimp (Palaemonetes paludosus) and is labeled Ghost Shrimp 99% of the time.

For almost each shrimp in the hobby there is almost assuredly a confusing name or two for that shrimp. So what is the cure? The only real cure is Time. The hobby is still new and growing. Over time there will become an accepted norm and things will get less confusing!

So until then, enjoy a picture of one of my Red Cherry Red Fire Shrimp!