Category Archives: Macro

Spider Decorator Crab

Crabs & Shrimps - Arthropoda, Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, , , ,
Spider Decorator Crab - Camposcia rutusa
Spider Decorator Crab – Camposcia rutusa

Spider Decorator Crab – Camposcia retusa –
The choice of noxious or stinging organisms as decorations implies that attaching them provides protection from predators by aposematism (warning) rather than by crypsis (camouflage), and there is direct observational evidence for this, e.g. that octopuses in tanks avoided decorated crabs. The relationship of crab and organisms such as sea anemones used as decoration may be mutualistic, offering protection to the crab and food to the anemone.

The crab tears a piece of adornment in its claws, chews it, and then rubs it firmly on its body until it catches on the “Velcro-like hooked setae”, curved hairs which permit camouflage materials to be attached. The carefully chosen decoration is supplemented by cryptic behavior, such as remaining still by day, and freezing when predators approach.

Yellow Barred Jawfish

Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, , , ,
Yellowbarred Jawfish - Opistognathus randalli
Yellowbarred Jawfish – Opistognathus randalli


Yellowbarred – Tiger – Gold specs jawfish, Opistognathus randalli
Found singly with just his head showing in rock lined burrows on sand and rubble areas. They feed mainly on benthic crustaceans, invertebrates and zooplankton.

Jawfish are usually found in self-constructed burrows with just the head showing waiting for their prey, they have huge mouths for the size of head.
After mating the males incubate the eggs in their mouths!

Dancing Chinese Dragon

Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, Polychaetes, , , ,
The Golden Fireworm - Chloeia flava
Golden Fireworm – Chloeia flava

The Golden Fireworm – Chloeia flava – #PolychaeteA segmented #bristleworm belonging to the family #Amphinomidae. They have an elongated body made of 37 visible segments, each of them has a distinctive ocelli (simple eye), which is purple or dark color with a white outline and placed in the middle of the upper side. Small gills are present on both external side of the back just before the bristles and on almost all the segments.The body is covered laterally with calcareous spines or setae, they have bristle aspect which are whitish, fine, sharp and venomous.

Candy Crab

Crabs & Shrimps - Arthropoda, Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, , , ,
Candy Crab - Hoplophrys oatesi

Candy Crab – Hoplophrys oatesi – A very colorful crab that grows from 1.5 to 2 cm. It lives on various species of soft coral in the #Dendronephthya genus. It camouflages itself by mimicking the colors of the polyps among which it hides. It adds further camouflage by attaching polyps to its carapace. Colors vary depending on the color of the coral, and may be white, pink, yellow or red.

The first pair of legs of this species has small claws. The body has pointed spines with a red and white pattern, similar in appearance to the host coral.

Dwarf Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish, Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Mollusks, Photography, , ,
Stumpy Cuttlefish
Stumpy Cuttlefish

Stumpy Cuttlefish – Dwarf Cuttlefish – Sepia bandensis
This weird and wonderful cuttlefish is not actually a fish but is in fact a mollusk. They have an internal shell (cuttlebone), amazing large W-shaped pupils, eight arms and two tentacles which they use for feeding.

This little fellow was smooth a few moments before and then bumped himself up changed color from almost white to this tan, a true ‘chameleon of the sea’.

On the Right Side…

Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Mollusks, Photography, Sea Slug, , ,
Side-gilled slug - Pleurobranchus forskalii
Side Gilled Slug – Pleurobranchus forskalii

Oooh! A Side-gilled slug – Pleurobranchus forskalii – gills are found on the right side of the body in the gap between the mantle and the foot. This relatively large pleurobranch is often found in quite large populations in shallow lagoons, reef crests and pools and sea grass beds.

Funeral Nudibranch

Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Mollusks, Nudibranch, Photography, , , ,
The Funeral Nudibranch - Jorunna funebris
Funeral Nudibranch

The Funeral Nudibranch – Jorunna funebris, gets is name from the black and white coloration. It feeds on a blue sponges (Neopetrosia sp.), which makes it poisonous, and able to secrete chemicals that make them distasteful or toxic.

As a members from the family Discodorididae they are able to retract its gills into a gill pocket. Many species are able to break off part of their mantle to distract predators. They generally have a narrow foot compared to the wide mantle skirt.

Nature %&#* rocks!

Crabs & Shrimps - Arthropoda, Invertebrates, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, , , ,
Halimedia Crab - Huenia heraldica
I blend in

Introducing Huenia heraldica, the Halimeda Crab. Its ability to camouflage in Halimeda algae (duh!) is nothing short of remarkable.
Halimeda algae is a smart object to mimic since very few organisms enjoy dining on this hard algae.

This species is a decorator crab; It sometimes attaches rigid fronds of halimeda algae to its rostrum in front of the eyes to enhance its camouflage.

The Devil Scorpion Fish

Fishes, Macro, Marine Life, Photography, , ,
Devil Scorpion Fish - Scorpaenopsis diabolus

The Devil Scorpion Fish – Scorpaenopsis diabolus, the false stonefish is a carnivorous ray-finned fish. It has venomous spines and is a bottom-dwelling predator that relies on its camouflage to catch passing prey. The inner sides of the broad pectoral fins have orange, black, and white blotches and the fins can be “flashed” as a warning.

Originally spotted using an ultra-violet light. They exhibit biofluorescence, that is, when illuminated ultraviolet light, it re-emits it as red, and appears differently than under white light.
Biofluorescence may assist in intraspecific communication and camouflage.


A face a mother may not love. They always scares the crap out of me when I see one, especially when they crawl around on their ventral fins.

JON bUCHHEIM