Clear Cleaner Shrimp (Urocaridella antonbruunii)

Clear Cleaner Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
35
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
42
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....
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
28
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...
Crynoid shrimp

Crinoid Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
59
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
89
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
22
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
88
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
188
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
178
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
139
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
49
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...
Squat Shrimp (Thor amboinensis) is also known as the Sexy Shrimp

The Squat Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
303
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
384
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
144
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...
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
610
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
660
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
1068
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
841
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
396
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
135
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
2637
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 ...
Red Spotted Guard Crab, (Trapezia rufopunctata) is also known as the Rust Spotted Guard Crab

Rust Spotted Guard Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
983
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...