The species of Nika shrimp that I found on May 31 and borrowed briefly, marks a nice start to a small ‘invasion’. Until yesterday, these shrimp were extremely rare in the Netherlands. At the Zeelandbrug dive site where I found her - it was a female with eggs- they had been found before. Last night, to my surprise, I found another one while releasing her, and dive buddy Ruud Versijde even found five!
I have photographed the Nika shrimp from the previous dive extensively; click HERE. I named the species Nika shrimp, Processa edulis, there, but it is not yet certain whether it is this species or Processa canaliculata. You can read more about this in the Verspreidingsatlas.
Just like Brown shrimp, they are true bottom dwellers; you do not see them free-swimming. Size 3 to 6 cm. The colour is different from what you know from other prawns or shrimps in the Netherlands (in my photography with the black background and lots of light, they are more colourful than you will see underwater). And most importantly, let's not forget: they are pure nocturnal animals! I know them well from Trieste (Adriatic Sea). I saw them there on almost every night dive. When I shone my light on them, they immediately became nervous and soon dug themselves - head first - almost vertically into the sand. Very funny to watch! Near the Zeelandbrug I found them between 10 and 14 meters; Ruud found this beautiful little shrimp at just four meters. I still have to sort through the photo's from last night.
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