Opae Ula life expectancy

[Ace]

Does anybody know the life expectancy of Opae Ula?

[jcfrank922]

Supposedly 20+ years.

[Varanus]

Mine are a long way from their max, but I can confirm that after getting them in September 2015 I have yet to see a single death (barring perhaps some larva).

[Mustafa]

20+ is confirmed...and that's probably a conservative estimate.

[Ace]

So, nobody knows. That's what I thought. I've read 25 so far.

[Keystone]

http://www.spacegrant.hawaii.edu/report ... e_FA06.pdf


I'll see if I can find something that deals with lifespan in the wild or normal captive conditions


http://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2 ... hrimps.pdf

[Ace]

That would be wonderful.

[JennyPenny]

I have also heard 20-25+ years.

[Mustafa]

In case people forgot about this thread (or just couldn't find it):

viewtopic.php?t=5209

Those shrimp should be 24-25 years old now. And the shrimp I mentioned further below in the thread should be closer to 30 or 30+ if they are still alive. I'll see if I can check with Scott Santos about the whereabouts of those shrimp.

[Ace]

Oh, really !? Please, do! That would be great.

[Mustafa]

Also, here is a thread of a forum member with what are now probably 25 year old shrimp (at the time of his posting they were 21):

viewtopic.php?t=5209

[Mustafa]

Oh, really !? Please, do! That would be great.

Just an update. I got an email reply from Scott Santos at Auburn University and he confirmed that he knows at least 2 people who have kept the same group of shrimp for about 25 years. He himself has shrimp that have been with him for 18 years.

He also sent me a paper that discusses various means (genetic and otherwise) of figuring out life expectancy in decapod crustaceans (like our Supershrimp). I suggested that we try to do that..either one of his graduate students or the author of that paper. He'll be possibly talking to a graduate student about it and I'll be contacting the author of the paper for collaboration.

I hope we'll figure this out soon. My guess is that 25 years is at the *low end* range of life expectancy for this species.

[jcfrank922]

This is an Opae Ula Life Cycle chart I have seen online. In my 1.5 gallon tank I now have several floating larvae (around 20) Plus a few berried females. This chart says the larvae stage lasts around 2 weeks and post larvae around 6 weeks until they become juveniles. With these shrimp living 20+ years and reproducing as they do, my tank will most probebly outlive me!

[Mustafa]

With these shrimp living 20+ years and reproducing as they do, my tank will most probebly outlive me!life_cycle.jpg

You know...that's entirely possible. And if you gift it to someone the tank will outlive them too. It's amazing to think that a tank could theoretically go on for hundreds and thousands of years (or more) if taken well care of. These shrimp are truly special!