The skunk cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) is a small crustacean easily recognized by its red-and-white body and long white antennae. It is best known for its remarkable cleaning behavior. It establishes itself on the reef at genuine cleaning stations, where fish come to have parasites and dead tissue removed.

This relationship benefits both partners: the shrimp obtains part of its food by cleaning the fish, while the fish are rid of numerous unwanted organisms living on their skin. The skunk cleaner shrimp generally lives alone or in pairs and can even approach fish much larger than itself, including potential predators.

The skunk cleaner shrimp has an elongated and relatively slender body, with bright red coloration crossed by a broad longitudinal white stripe along its back. Its abdomen also has white and red markings, while its long white antennae are easily visible as it moves or signals its presence to a fish. Its eyes are borne on short stalks, and its numerous legs allow it to move across the reef and cling to its clients during cleaning. It generally measures around 2.4 inches in total length.

Its highly contrasting coloration also plays a role in its cleaning behavior, as it allows fish to easily recognize the small shrimp when approaching a cleaning station. It waves its long antennae and legs to attract the attention of fish and signal that it is ready to clean them.

The skunk cleaner shrimp is found in the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific and Red Sea, including around the Seychelles, Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Hawaii.

The skunk cleaner shrimp mainly lives on coral reefs, where it seeks out caves, crevices, and rocky recesses that provide shelter. It occurs from shallow waters down to depths of about 131 feet. These shelters often serve as genuine cleaning stations visited by numerous species of fish.

The skunk cleaner shrimp generally lives alone or in pairs and often remains close to its shelter. When a fish approaches, it emerges from its cavity and makes characteristic movements with its antennae and legs to attract its attention. It can then move over the fish's body, mouth, or sometimes gills to search for parasites and debris.

The skunk cleaner shrimp mainly feeds on material it removes from the bodies of its clients during cleaning sessions. It removes external parasites, pieces of dead skin, and various small debris from their bodies. It can therefore feed while helping fish get rid of organisms that may bother them.

This behavior is an example of a relationship known as mutualism, because both animals can benefit from it. The shrimp obtains part of its food while the fish are rid of parasites and dead tissue. However, it can adapt its behavior when dealing with predatory fish and is more cautious with them than with species that pose less risk.

The skunk cleaner shrimp has a particularly unusual reproductive strategy: it is a protandrous hermaphrodite. Young individuals begin their lives as males and later become capable of producing both sperm and eggs. They can then alternate between the male and female roles during mating.

Mating generally takes place shortly after the individual acting as the female molts, when its new shell is still soft. Fertilization is external, and the female then carries the eggs beneath her abdomen until they hatch. The eggs hatch into larvae that initially live in the plankton before gradually metamorphosing into young shrimp living on the seafloor.

Although it can produce both sperm and eggs, the shrimp cannot fertilize itself.

The characteristic coloration of this cleaner shrimp, with its broad white stripe along the back bordered by red stripes, resembles the black-and-white coat of a skunk. This resemblance gives rise to its common name, skunk cleaner shrimp.