CSIC Study Traces Shrimp Origins to Pacific 125 Million Years Ago

An international research team led by Spain's Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) published a study in the Journal of Biogeography showing that the most recent common ancestor of modern pantropical shrimp originated in the Eastern Pacific during the Early Cretaceous, about 125 million years ago. Using a fossil‑calibrated phylogeny, molecular markers and continuous‑space statistical models, the scientists analysed more than 34,000 records of 155 shrimp species. The analysis revealed multiple long‑distance dispersal routes, including trans‑Atlantic crossings between the Americas and Africa and extensive colonisation of Oceania and Southeast Asia. The findings overturn the long‑standing hypothesis that shrimp evolved in the ancient Tethys Sea. Researcher Mónica Núñez‑Flores noted an acceleration in dispersal rates near the Cretaceous‑Paleogene boundary, likely linked to ecological niche reorganisation and the expansion of coastal habitats.

The study highlights the importance of long‑range dispersal and ecological plasticity in shaping the current biodiversity of pantropical shrimp.