At a Glance
The tiny and vibrant Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp is only found in Lake Matano in Sulawesi Indonesia. The red shrimp with white spots lives on the rocks and gravel largely along the shore of Lake Matano, though the shrimp can live in water as deep as 10 meters. Its unique appearance has made it highly sought after in the international aquarium trade.
Lake Matano, one of the ancient Malili Lakes of Sulawesi, is an isolated ecosystem and is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity and high levels of endemism. The Sulawesi Cardinal Shrimp depends on the lake’s clear waters and specialized shoreline habitats, making it particularly vulnerable to changes in and disturbances to the lakes and surrounding areas.
The shrimp’s population in the lake had been stable, but during population surveys in 2017 and 2018 conservationists were not able to find any of the small crustaceans. The sudden decline was likely caused by compounding threats, including invasive fish species, pollution from nickel mining and local sewer water discharges, changes in water levels and flow from a hydropower dam and sedimentation.
At a glance
Taxa
Invertebrates
Geography
Indonesia
Status
Critically Endangered
Habitat
Freshwater lake
Estimated Population
Unknown; not recorded in recent surveys and suspected to have undergone a severe decline
Threats
Nickel mining; hydroelectric power; sedimentation, pollution, invasive species and collection for aquarium trade
Potential Recovery Actions
Site and habitat protection; harvest management; invasive species control; monitoring; research on ecology and threats
