High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Alpheus is a genus of snapping shrimp of the family Alpheidae. This genus contains in excess of 250 species, making this the most species-rich genus of shrimp. Like other snapping shrimp, the claws of Alpheus are asymmetrical, with one of the claws enlarged for making a popping noise. Some species in the genus enter into symbiotic relationships with gobiid fishes.