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The beauty and the Beast? World of crustaceans is extremely diverse! Did you know that some Snapping Shrimps can share burrows with Spoon Worms? Alpheus barbatus is one of the most beautiful shrimps. It is a facultative associate with rock-dwelling echiuran (Ikedosoma cf. elegans here)

I found this couple under a rock on the coast of New Caledonia. This was during a marine biological expedition of the Paris Museum of Natural History. I was struck by the beauty of the shrimp. Why be such a beautiful crustacean? Living under a rock with a worm 🙂

You will find more interesting facts and excellent underwater photos in the Coral Reef Crustaceans book. https://reefidbooks.com/shrimps-crabs/

Every diver saw these scallops a lot of times. Some of us even tried to photograph them, fascinated by the row of unusual eyes between the tentacles. Less known it the fact that they help coral host to survive Crown of Thorns predation. Contact by starfish usually caused the scallops to generate repeated powerful jets of water, forcing starfish to move away. Scientists from the University of Queensland (L. M. DeVantier, R. Endean)

“Impact of the jets usually caused starfish to retract the sensory tube feet at the tips of the affected arm, raise the arm, and in most instances move away. However, in several interactions, starfish persisted in moving onto or over the scallop following initiation of the jets. On 2 occasions, this resulted in the starfish being lifted several cm above the coral surface by the continuing jets.”

As you probably already guessed, this clam is also a great subject for photography. More interesting facts and inspiring photos await you in the new book, available as paperback and Ebook.

Night dive in the tropical Indo-Pacific – it is always a possibility to find something new and strange. If you dived a lot after sunset you probably noticed strange transparent fishes slowly moving near the soft bottom.

Often the have a row of round dark spots running along the midline

They are hard to notice due to the transparent body and cryptic behaviour and not easy to identify to species. But I can suggest a family name: they are juvenile Lizardfishes, Synodontidae. Look again at the eyes and jaws and you’d recognise them!

First of all about the beauty: Crown of Thorns juveniles are really handsome in their own spiky-snowflake way. They develop spines and begin to feed on coral only about one year of age, drifting as planktonic larval before that age. Getting bigger and bigger they are gaining more and more brutality and spike length.

Adult Crown of Thorns can grow up to a huge size – more than metre in diameter! A few interesting facts:

– Crown of Thorns are a natural part of the coral reef ecosystem. An increase in their numbers only occurs when the reef is unhealthy.

– In healthy reefs Crown of Thorns are playing a positive role by eating some of the faster-growing corals and giving the slower-growing corals a chance.

– Adult Crown of Thorns can survive without feeding for up to nine months. The normal lifespan of a Crown of Thorns is about four or so years.

Lacy scorpionfish, Rhinopias aphanes holds top position on the bucket list of many underwater photographers. You can not find this fish visiting regular diving destinations like Anilao or Lembeh, you’d add some adventure (and money) and visit Papua New Guinea, Australia or New Caledonia.

Usually they are found on offshore reefs, not deep, sitting motionlessly in ambush near crinoid, perfectly matching with surrounds. You are lucky if you managed to get a small collection of differently coloured Lacy – Golden, Grey, Greenish, Red.

The family Harpidae comprises elegant marine gastropods with shell, resembling the strings of a harp. They are nocturnal hunters, hiding in the sand during the day and feeding on crabs and shrimps at night. The prey is enveloped by the foot and mucus, then saliva containing digestive enzymes is injected. Finally, partly digested crab is sucked out by the mollusc.

Pseudoceros imitatus (Mimic Flatworm), one of my favourite flatworms, mimic Phyllidiella pustulosa (Pimpled Phyllidiella), very common toxic nudibranch. Phyllidiella can emit very toxic substances on the skin, extracting them from the sponges it feeds on. Our flatworm unfairly enjoys poisonous fame, avoided by predators!

Can you tell flatworm from nudibranch on this photo?

Juveniles are often funny, like this small Blue-Eyed Hermit Crab, Dardanus scutellatus. You can easily recognise this crab by blue or grey eyes with white eyestalks and 1st antenna with back stripe.