Biological species and lake range
Caridina dennerli — Malili / Lake Matano
Original pictured ecological and lineage evidence
Habitat / trophic ecogroup
Shallow rocky surfaces, also some deeper rocks
Identification and species history
The named Cardinal shrimp is a true wild Lake Matano species; 2018 IUCN CR/Possibly Extinct in the Wild label describes older surveys.
Conservation and field evidence
TARSIUS reported 12 of 24 Matano survey sites with detections in Aug 2025, after no sightings in 2017/18 IUCN materials. April 2026 second survey covered 23 localities, but no numeric second-survey species presence is given.
Captive-breeder authentication
Captive-bred Cardinal trade exists; exact line provenance and founder genotypes generally unverified.
Published captive brood counts
No scored captive F1/F2 color segregation or exact parent IDs in these sources
Inherited commercial color traits
Wild-species phylogeny and habitat grouping only, no commercial color gene allele
Ethical conservation and species verification
Keep documented captive-bred stock with provenance and stable species-appropriate conditions; never release aquarium stock to natural waterways or interpret this record as authorization to collect, relocate, or purchase rare wild animals.
Original source ledger
- von Rintelen et al. 2010 ancient Malili adaptive radiation
Peer-reviewed mitochondrial phylogeny and substrate counts for 15 endemic taxa; 2010 lake-wide sample; two colonization events, one producing 14 taxa, without a validated chromosome-level or hobby mating tree
- von Rintelen & Cai 2009 systematic revision, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology
Original taxonomic revision of the ancient-lake Caridina and eight described species; This paper documents field taxa and anatomy; not commercial genetic pedigrees
- IUCN 2018 Cardinal shrimp C. dennerli assessment
Red List original CR possibly extinct in wild based on 2017/18 nondetections; Snapshot assessment based on historical surveys; superseded for detection by more recent NGO report but not formally recategorized here
- TARSIUS Indonesia Lake Matano surveys August 2025 and April 2026
First-person conservation field report: C. dennerli encountered at 12/24 sites Aug 2025; 23 survey sites Apr 2026; Non-peer-reviewed conservation field post; 12/24 is occupancy detections not shrimp abundance, and second survey does not publish matching species-specific count