The Convex crab (Carpilius convexus)

Convex Reef Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1
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
45
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
24
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
12
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
78
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
215
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
82
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
420
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
378
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
760
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
432
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
274
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
74
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
2064
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
583
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...
Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera elegans)

Harlequin Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
1948
The Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera picta) is one of the more colourful and ornate shrimps around. Their ornate specialised mouth parts and sensory organs elicit a second look, along with leaving one wondering...
Marbled shrimp ( Saron marmoratus )

Marbled Shrimp-Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
378
The Marbled shrimp ( Saron marmoratus ) is also known as the Saron Shrimp, Eyespot Shrimp or Carid Shrimp. They are rather ungainly looking shrimp with a fairly long rostrum. Their hairy looking  backs and ...
Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculosus

Porcelain Anemone Crab- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
2698
The Porcelain Anemone Crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus is also known as the Spotted porcelain crab. They are decapod crustaceans in the Porcellanidae family. Although they resemble true crabs they are actual...
ornate spiny lobster Panulirus ornatus

Ornate Spiny Lobster – Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
884
The Ornate spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus is also known as the Tropical rock lobster and the Ornate tropical rock lobster . They are among the largest of the Panuliris lobsters and are greatly favored as ...
Durban Dancing Shrimp - Rhynchocinetes durbanensis

Durban Dancing Shrimp- Facts and Photographs

Alan Sutton
579
The Durban Dancing Shrimp (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis) is also known as the camel shrimp, camelback shrimp, candy shrimp and the hingebeak prawn.  They obtain the dancing part of their  name from the sidewa...