Lysmata debelius was first described by A. J. Bruce in 1983, based on type material from Polillo Island in the Philippines.

[1] The specific epithet commemorates Helmut Debelius,[1] who had collected the specimens and sent them to a zoologist for identification.

[2] A divergent population from Ari Atoll in the Maldives was later described as a separate species, L. splendida, by Rudolf Burukovsky.

[3][4] Lysmata debelius grows up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) long, with males and functional hermaphrodites appearing similar.

The hatching of eggs, moulting, and copulation cycle is identical to that of L. wurdemanni, yielding weekly batches of zoeae from each pair.