Ascidonia flavomaculata

Ascidonia flavomaculata is a benthic clear translucent shrimp with yellow spots and visible green internal organs that is generally associated endosymbiotically with solitary ascidians. Eye morphology in pontoniine shrimps is strongly influenced by their lifestyle, with endosymbiotic species showing reduced eye complexity compared to free-living forms. The species is gonochoric, with females having a larger abdomen and carapace than males, and males having larger claws while both sexes have one larger claw. They can range from 2–20 mm long. == Habitat and distribution ==

A. flavomaculata occur in coastal marine environments, typically in shallow subtidal zones. They are recorded across the northeastern Atlantic as well as the broader eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. They can live in a wide range of other invertebrate organisms but are most commonly found in sea squirts, specifically Phallusia mammillata. As a symbiotic crustacean, A. flavomaculata is hosted by ascidians within the branchial chamber. == Life cycle and reproduction ==

Ascidonia flavomaculata exhibits a symbiotic lifestyle within solitary ascidian hosts, which strongly influences its reproductive biology and life cycle. Once the female has carried the eggs for long enough in her swimmerets they will hatch and float planktonically until they grow enough where larvae typically develop through zoeal and mysis stages before reaching juvenile form. After that they will find their own host to live in and can often be picky about where they live and what organism they live in. == Taxonomy ==

Ascidonia flavomaculata comes from the genus Ascidonia and from the family Palaemonidae. The family Palaemonidae consists of a large clade of tunicate and other endosymbiotic shrimp. == References ==