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Crustaceans & Shellfish

Clear Cleaner Shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii)

Clear Cleaner Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
83
The Clear Cleaner Shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii) is also known as the Anton Bruni Cleaner Shrimp, the Red and White Cleaner Shrimp, Transparent Cleaner Shrimp, Floating Cleaner Shrimp and sometimes simp...
Feather Star Crab (Tiaramedon spinosum)

Feather Star Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
54
The Feather Star Crab (Tiaramedon spinosum) is not commonly seen in Tanzanian waters and this is likely a function of both their cryptic habits and camouflage making them difficult to spot and their rarity....
Milky (Procalpurnus lacteus) is also known as the Netted Milky Ovulid

Milky Ovulid -Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
27
The Milky Ovulid (Procalpurnus lacteus) is also known as the Netted Milky Ovulid.  Although they resemble cowries, they are not a true cowries , instead they are in the Ovulidae family also known as False C...
Rosy Spindle Cowrie (Phenacovolva rosea)

Rosy Spindle Cowrie -Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
28
The Rosy Spindle Cowrie (Phenacovolva rosea) is also known by other local names as the Many Host Phenacovolva, the Double-snouted Spindle Cowrie, Tokio's Volva and the Gorgonian Spindle Cowry. They are not ...
Spider Decorator Crab (Camposcia retusa) is also known as the Blunt Decorator Crab and the Tarantula Crab

Spider Decorator Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
58
The Spider Decorator Crab (Camposcia retusa) is also known as the Blunt Decorator Crab, the Velcro Crab and the Tarantula Crab. Being well camouflaged they are difficult to spot and are probably easier foun...
Pygmy Squid found in Tanzania possibly undescribed

Pygmy Squid- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
73
Pygmy squid are technically not squid although they closely resemble them. Instead they fall in the genus Idiosepius. Very little is known of their habits and these found in Tanzania among and alongside the...
Crynoid shrimp

Crinoid Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
108
Cinoid Shrimp are also known as Feather Star Shrimp. They live exclusively on Crinoids or Feather Stars.  Crinoids or Feather Stars are echinoderms that are mainly seen out at night in Tanzania but on occas...
Spotted Reef Crab (Carpilius maculatus) is also known as the Seven-eleven crab, the Dark-finger coral crab, and the Large spotted crab

Spotted Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
129
The Spotted Reef Crab (Carpilius maculatus) is also known as the Seven-eleven crab, the Dark-finger coral crab, and the Large spotted crab. They are not commonly seen in Tanzanian waters, probably due to th...
Ridged swimming crab (Charybdis natator) is also known as the wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab

Ridged Swimming Crab – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
36
The Ridged swimming crab (Charybdis natator) is also known as the wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab. Because of the ridges on their back they are relatively easy to identify. There are two subspecies, the...
The Convex crab (Carpilius convexus)

Convex Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
129
The Convex reef crab (Carpilius convexus) is also known as the Round-back Coral Crab. They are fairly common at night in the waters off Dar es Salaam but are seldom seen out during the day. Large specimens ...
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator)

Emperor Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
224
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 (Cymo andreossyi) is also known as the Furry Coral Crab

Hairy Coral Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
249
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, Lissocarcinus laevis

Harlequin Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
188
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, Leucosia pubescens

Olive Purse Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
84
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 (Architectonica perspectiva)

Sundial Shell-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
945
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...
Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp

The Squat Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
364
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 in the genus Plesionika

Unicorn Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1
505
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...
Flathead Slipper Lobster (Thenus Orientalis)

Flathead Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
174
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...

Partridge Tun Shell-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
344
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 (Pedum spondyloideum ) is also known as the Iridescent Clam

Coral Scallop-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
179
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 (Mimachlamys sanguinea)

Senatorial Scallop-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
92
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 (Ciliopagurus strigatus) is also known as Cone Shell Hermit Crab, the Striped Hermit Crab and the Orange Legged Hermit Crab

Halloween Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
664
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 (Etisus dentatus) is also known as the Red Reef Crab

Spiny Spooner Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
749
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 (Scyllarides squammosus)

Blunt Slipper Lobster- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1164
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...