Emperor Shrimp-Facts and Photographs
The Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) is one of the more vividly colored shrimp around. They form what are termed commensal relationships with various species of nudibranch and sea cucumbers (holothu...
Hairy Coral Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Hairy Coral Crab (Cymo andreossyi) is also known as the Furry Coral Crab . Being small and well camouflaged they are difficult to spot and are probably best found at night when their eyes reflect light ...
Harlequin Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Harlequin Swimming Crab, Lissocarcinus laevis is not easy to see because of its size and one has to look carefully to spot them.
They are decapod crustaceans in the Infraorder Brachyura, in the Portu...
Olive Purse Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Olive Purse Crab, Leucosia pubescens does not seem to be common in Tanzanian waters and indeed does not seem to be recorded here. Hopefully the identification is correct.
They are decapod crustaceans...
Sundial Shell-Facts and Photographs
The Sundial shell (Architectonica perspectiva) is also known as the Perspective Sundial shell and the Clear Sundial shell. They are marine snails in the super family Architectonicoidea and were first desc...
The Squat Shrimp-Facts and Photographs
The Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp. They are small colorful shrimp that form a comensual relationship with various species of anemone. They have a habit of holding their ab...
Unicorn Shrimp- Facts and Photographs
The Unicorn Shrimp (Genus Plesionika) are also known as the Narwhal Shrimp. They obtain their name from the proportionally very long rostrum spine extending out quite far from the carapace. The rostrum ha...
Anker’s Whip Coral Shrimp-Facts and Photographs
The Anker's Whip Coral Shrimp (Pontonides ankeri) is also known as the Barred Wire Coral Shrimp and sometimes simply as the Whip Coral Shrimp. They are small shrimp that form a comensual relationship with v...
Yellow Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Yellow Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes alobatus is not common in Tanzanian waters. In several years of searching we have only found five specimens.
They are decapod crustaceans in the Porcell...
Flathead Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs
The Flathead Slipper Lobster (Thenus Orientalis) is a very unusual looking clawless lobster even by slipper lobster standards. In Australia they are known as the Morton Bay bug. They are only active at n...
Reticulated Hinge Beak Shrimp- Facts and Photographs
The Reticulated Hinge-beak Shrimp (Cinetorhynchus reticulatus) is also known as the Green-eye Dancing Shrimp. They are fairly rare in Tanzanian waters and are nocturnal feeders found in deeper waters.
...
Partridge Tun Shell-Facts and Photographs
The Partridge Tun shell (Tonna perdix) is a large fairly reclusive mollusk rarely encountered on shallow night dives in Tanzanian waters. They are marine snails in the super family Tonnoidea. They are unusu...
Coral Scallop-Facts and Photographs
The Coral Scallop (Pedum spondyloideum) is also known as the Iridescent Clam and the Blue Lipped coral Oyster. They are however scallops. They reside within several species of hard stony corals, but are mo...
Senatorial Scallop-Facts and Photographs
The Senatorial Scallop (Mimachlamys sanguinea) seems to have been named scientifically several times in the past and was previously known as Chlamys senatoria, Chlamys porphyrea and Chlamys australis. They a...
Halloween Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is also known as the Cone Shell Hermit Crab, the Striped Hermit Crab and the Orange Legged Hermit Crab. They are one of the more colourful smaller hermit ...
Spiny Spooner Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Spiny Spooner Reef Crab (Etisus dentatus) is also known as the Red Reef Crab. They obtain their name from the spoon shaped endings of their chelipeds and the spiny carapace. If one looks carefully at th...
Blunt Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs
The Blunt Slipper Lobster (Scyllarides squammosus) is an unusual looking clawless lobster. They are usually only active at night and during the day they are almost never seen, being adept at hiding themse...
Smooth Box Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Smooth Box Crab (Calappa calappa) is also known as the Giant Box Crab or the Shamefaced Crab. Because of their variable colouration they are sometimes also called the Red Spotted Box Crab.
They are n...
Compressed Spindle Cowrie -Facts and Photographs
The Compressed Spindle Cowrie (Hiatavolva coarctata) is also known as the Pink Allied Cowrie. They are not a true cowries , instead they are in the Ovulidae family also known as False Cowries or Cowry Allie...
Smith’s Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs
Smith's Swimming Crab (Charybdis smithii) is a very interesting swimming crab that exhibits swarming behavior. They were first found in False Bay near Capetown in South Africa in 1838 when a large swarm wa...
Rusty Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Rusty Guard Crab (Trapezia bidentata) is also known as the Two Tooth Guard Crab. They spend their entire adult lives living between the branches of corals of the Pocillopora and Acropora families. The...
Pacific Cleaner Shrimp-Facts Photographs and Video
The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) is also known as the Ambon Cleaner Shrimp, the Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp and as the Cleaner Shrimp. As their name implies they are...
Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab (Aniculus maximus) is also known as the Large Hairy Hermit Crab. They are one of the larger more colourful hermit crabs that spend their lives in empty gastropod shells. They ar...
Decorator Crab- Facts and Photographs
Decorator crabs belong to the superfamily Majoidea and are also commonly known as Spider Crabs. They obtain their name from their habit of decorating their bodies with various plants and animals. This can ...
The Map Cowrie-Facts and Photographs
The Map cowrie (Leporicypraea mappa) is one of the larger species of cowrie found in Tanzania. They are marine snails in the family Cypraeidae. They are nocturnal and far more reclusive than the other large...
Rust Spotted Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs
The Rust Spotted Guard Crab, (Trapezia rufopunctata) is also known as the Red Spotted Guard Crab in some areas. They spend their entire lives living between the branches of corals of the Pocillopora and Ac...
Red Helmet Shell – Facts and Photographs
The Red helmet shell Cypraecassis rufa is also known as the Bullmouth shell and as the Cameo shell. Large specimens such as those in these images are now very rare due to their collection for sale to the ca...