Shine on you crazy Pink Floyd monikered shrimp

● Crustacean that is noisier than a rock concert is named after band

A high-volume crustacean that produces a sound louder than rock concerts has been named after the band Pink Floyd.

The pistol shrimp, Synalpheus pinkfloydi, has a distinctive pink snapping claw which it uses to stun prey with sonic energy.

Zoologist and Pink Floyd fan Dr Sammy de Grave, from Oxford University’s Museum of Natural History, had been waiting for the chance to honour the rock legends by giving their name to a new species.

He said: “I have been listening to Floyd since The Wall was released in 1979, when I was 14 years old. I’ve seen them play live several times since, including the Hyde Park reunion gig for Live8 in 2005.

“The description of this new species of pistol shrimp was the perfect opportunity to finally give a nod to my

0 Synalpheus pinkfloydi has a distinctive pink snapping claw which it uses to stun prey favourite band.” Like any selfrespecting rock band, pistol shrimps have the ability to generate a huge amount of volume.

By snapping its enlarged claw shut at rapid speed the shrimp creates a high-pressure cavitation bubble which collapses to produce one of the loudest sounds in the ocean.

The sonic blast can reach 210 decibels – far louder than the sound of a gunshot – and is powerful enough to stun or even kill small fish.

For a split-second, the imploding bubble also generates temperatures of 4,400C, which is nearly as hot as the surface of the sun.

Some species of pistol shrimp use their sonic weapon to drill burrows into solid basalt rock.

Synalpheus pinkfloydi was discovered on the Pacific coast of Panama and is closely related

SAMMY DE GRAVE to a western Atlantic sister species, S. antillensis, identified in 1909.

A description of the pinkclawed shrimp appears in the journal Zootaxa.

The Oxford team featured the shrimp in fictitious covers for the Pink Floyd albums Animals and The Wall.

In Animals, the crustacean takes the place of a dirigible pink pig floating above London’s Battersea power station.

The Wall cover shows S. pinkfloydi superimposed over the Museum of Natural History in the style of original artwork from the album.

Last year biologists named a new species of damselfly after Pink Floyd’s 1969 double LP Ummagumma.