The Nature Pages

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	Remarkable Shrimps Adaptations and Natural History of the Carideans by Raymond T. Bauer University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.
	Seeking to stimulate interest in the caridean shrimps while at the same time documenting decades of study and observations, crustacean biologist Raymond Bauer offers a natural history of his favorite taxonomic group.
	Writing in a conversational style that he hopes will attract amateur naturalists as well as professional scientists, Bauer profiles nearly 30 families of Carideans and discusses variations in body form and function, coloration, breeding biology, mating behavior, and their unique antifouling and grooming adaptations.
	Often referred to as prawns,  caridean shrimps can be found at nearly all latitudes of the planet, from the tropics to the polar regions, and in many different kinds of habitats, including brackish and freshwater environments. But while they are more adaptable, caridean shrimps are far outnumbered by the primarily tropical marine penaeid shrimps upon which most commercial shrimp fisheries are based.		What is a Caridean Shrimp? The caridean shrimp can be defined as a caridoid decapod crustacean with phyllobranchiate gills,second abdominal pleura forming a caridean saddle, and usually two pairs of chelae but never three. Carideans are taxonomically and ecologically diverse, with many remarkable adaptations for survival and reproduction.
	Bauer's enthusiasm for Carideans is evident throughout the book, as he describes their life history patterns and symbioses with other animals. In the preface, he describes his first encounter with a caridean shrimp in a tide pool at La Jolla, California. "I placed the shrimps in a bucket and, as I saw them swimming about, realized that I was hooked. This was the group I was seeking: animals that were exhilarating just to look at."
	The multicolored shrimps in Bauer 's bucket not only became principal subjects in his dissertation, but also the focus of many research studies on their mating and coloration, and now the subject of this text. Raymond T. Bauer holding two shite shrimps