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Crustaceans & Shellfish

Ridged swimming crab (Charybdis natator) is also known as the wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab

Ridged Swimming Crab – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2
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
21
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
61
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
37
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 ...
Olive Purse Crab, Leucosia pubescens

Olive Purse Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
18
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
185
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
119
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
239
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
91
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
166
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
76
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
48
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
445
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
410
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
800
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 (Calappa calappa) is also known as the Giant Box Crab

Smooth Box Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
467
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...
Smiths Swimming Crab (Charybdis smithii)

Smith’s Swimming Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
288
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 (Trapezia-bidentata) is also known as the Two Tooth Guard Crab

Rusty Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
78
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...

Decorator Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2168
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 ...
map cowry Leporicypraea mappa

The Map Cowrie-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
216
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...