They sway their body and wave their antennae in order to attract fish from which they eat dead tissue, algae and parasites.

[1][2] The spotted cleaner shrimp is found at depths down to about 24 metres (79 ft) in the Caribbean Sea, southern Florida, the Bahamas and as far south as Colombia.

[2][3] Breeding takes place in the summer and females have been seen brooding eggs under their abdomens in the months of July and August.

[2] After hatching, the larvae pass through several planktonic larval stages before settling on the seabed and undergoing metamorphosis into the adult form.

When they pose motionless beside the anemone, it emerges from the tentacles and removes and feeds on external parasites and flakes of loose skin from the fish.