Juvenile Hawaiian Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Decorator crab. Indonesia.
Ctenophore gleaming in iridescence at night in the open ocean.
Nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani) at night. Philippines.
Two fairy crabs (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Hyperiid amphipod frequently parasitize hydromedusa and other gelatinous animals.
Dozens of starfish cover a sand bed at Cocos Island. Costa Rica.
A crinoid (Crinoid sp) looking stylish at night. Indonesia.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) under rain drops. Palau.
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). California.
A banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) in the Bahamas.
Head on shot of a shrimp's eyes. Philippines.
Giant marine hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes ) on a wreck in the Bahamas.
Squat lobster in a crinoid. Indonesia.
Squid larva - 12.6 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensiger). Papua New Guinea.
The rare sight of a slipper lobster puerulus on a blackwater dive off Oahu. The puerulus stage is the transitional form from pelagic larva (phyllosoma) to benthic juvenile in lobsters.
Flabellina iodinea - a common nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Emperor shrimp or Imperial shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Reef Squid (Sepioteuthis sp.). Like all cephalopods, squid have a distinct head, bilateral symmetry, a mantle, and eight arms. There are around 300 species of squid. Indonesia.
A reef squid (Sepioteuthis sp.) in full irridescence. Cephalopods create this amazing camouflage using specialized color changing cells (chromatophores) and reflecting cells (iridocytes) in the skin. Indonesia.
Collected pelagic copepod (Sapphirina sp.) - 4.5 mm TL. Hawaii.
Yellow spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
A bright orange bristle star on a soft coral. Tonga.
Saron shrimp (Saron sp.) in a crevice. Papua New Guinea.
A close-up of the of the red pencil urchin's (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) spines and skeleton (test). Hawaii.
Odd looking donald duck shrimp (Leander plumosus) on a coral. Indonesia.
An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) on a serpentine sea cucumber. Indonesia.
Soft coral crab (Hoplophrys oatesi). Indonesia.
California mussel and purple sea urchins in the lower intertidal zone of Santa Cruz island, California. Purple urchins usually feed on plant matter, such as kelp, but, in tough times when algae is depleted, can also use their heavy-duty teeth to grind through barnacle and mussel shells. With their ability to withstand a wide range of ocean temperatures. purple sea urchins may well be among the ocean’s ultimate survivors. Areas dominated by purple urchins are increasing throughout the Channel Islands.
Saw blade shrimp (Tozeuma armatum) carrying eggs. Philippines.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Indonesia.
A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea sp.) extends off the reef and releases gametes in the current.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) on a night dive. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
A bobtail squid near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Flabellina nudibranch. Indonesia.
Juvenile banded mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla maculata) reflecting off the surface on a blackwater dive in Palau.
Collected blue pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Philippines.
Shrimp hitching a ride on a colonial radiolarian at night in the open ocean off Oahu, Hawaii.
Two bubble coral shrimp (Vir philippinensis) in an anemone. Papua New Guinea.
Lobster larva near settlement. Indonesia.
Humpback shrimp (Saron sp.). Fiji.
A reef squid on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
An octopus larva hitches a ride on a leaf on a blackwater dive in the Solomon Islands.
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) peers out of its den. Indonesia.
A Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Two giant basket stars (Astrophyton muricatum) at night. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris lochi). Philippines.
Juvenile cuttlefish. Papua New Guinea.
Squid larva feeding on a larval mantis shrimp. Solomon Islands.
A cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) at dusk.
Hermissenda opalescens nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemenes sp.). Indonesia.
Mating nudibranchs (Nembrotha lineolata). Indonesia.
Green-eye dancing shrimp (Cinetorhynchus sp.). Fiji.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemens sp.). Indonesia.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
A salp (pelagic tunicate)(about 2") in the open ocean at night.
Collected unidentifed pelagic crustacean larva. Hawaii.
Two soft corals attached to a giant giant clam (Tridachna gigas) in Palau.
Reef squid (Cephalapod sp.). Palau.
Yellow crinoid shrimp. Indonesia.
Two juvenile jacks swim above a barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) at night in Truk Lagoon. Barrel jellyfish are very common in Truk Lagoon during the late summer months.
Pelagic nudibranch (about 3/4") on a blackwater dive off Oahu, Hawaii
Juvenile squid schooling at night. Florida.
Crown jellyfish (Cephea cephea) off Oahu, Hawaii. Crown jellyfish have a deep groove running around the bell, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Hawaii.
Nudibranch (Flabellina sp.). Indonesia.
Portuguese man-of-war reeling in a damselfish larva at night in the open ocean.
Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) juvenile on Halimeda algae. Papua New Guinea.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata). Papua New Guinea.
Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
Swimming pelagic marine copepod (5.7 mm). Hawaii.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans). Philippines.
Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus). Saron shrimps are quite variable in color and pattern. They may have greenish, brown, or even red, purple or blue markings. Ambon, Indonesia.
Barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides sp.). Fiji.
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). Papua New Guinea.
Collected pink jellyfish (Pelagia species). Hawaii.
Juvenile saron shrimp near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Head on shot of spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus). Indonesia.
Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus). Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha sp.) on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Blue boxer shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris). Indonesia.
Larval squid releasing ink. Papua New Guinea.
Juvenile octopus reflects off the surface (Octopus sp.) in Papua New Guinea.
I found a large aggregation of several hundred moon jellyfish in the lee of a small island in open ocean. Moon jellyfish aggregate under favorable (slack current) conditions to reproduce sexually. Solomon Islands.
Hyperiid amphipods riding a jellyfish (hydromedusa) at night in the open ocean.
Over-under scene of jellyfish under mangroves in Palau.
Mantis shrimp larva - 65.0 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Ctenophore (about 2") feeding on a bristle worm on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Nudibranch on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator). Philippines.
Collected sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus), a pelagic aeolid nudibranch. Hawaii.
A spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Crab on a softcoral. Papua New Guinea.
Jewel anemone (Corynactis virids).
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Starfish. Papua New Guinea.
Two-spot lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) with four stages of parasitic isopods. Tonga.
Crinoid squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans). Indonesia.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) at night. Palau.
Coral pattern. Palau.
Spider crab (Hyastenus bispinosus) on gorgonian. Fiji.
Bird's eye view of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus vesicolor). Indonesia.
Atlantic triton's trumpet (Charonia variegata) feeding on a cushion sea star (Oreaster reticulatus). Sea stars are the triton’s primary prey item. A trumpet snail paralizes its prey with an injection of toxic saliva, and then bores through the body with its strong teeth. Adult trumpets are heavily collected for their beautiful shells, which has allowed sea star populations to proliferate in recent years. Bahamas.
A flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) lifts off from the muck in search of food. Indonesia.
Crab megalopa collected in an egg tow. Hawaii.
Pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) in the barrel of salp.
Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch. Indonesia.
Fairy crab (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
A pair of harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a starfish (Linkia sp.) in Indonesia.
Head on shot of painted spiny lobster (P. versicolor). Fiji.
Squat lobster on a sponge. These decapod crustaceans are not lobsters at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crabs, hermit crabs and then, more distantly, true crabs. Halmahera, Indonesia.
Head on shot of peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis) carrying a large clutch of eggs. Philippines.
Spiny brittle stars (Ophiothrix spiculata) became dominant on deeper California kelp beds after the 1998 El Nino and may cover nearly 100% of the bottom in some areas. They are filter feeders and require clean, oxygen-rich water, which makes them a good indicator species for a healthy ecosystem.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
A spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) in a pink-tipped anemone. Bahamas
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on a sea cucumber. Indonesia.
Head shot of a pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
A swimming bristle worm at night. Indonesia.
Colorful shrimp doing yoga on a blackwater dive in Truk Lagoon.
Reef squid in defense posture on a blackwater dive. Solomon Islands.
Bristle worm epitoke in the open ocean at night. An epitoke is posterior sexual part of a bristle worm (and other polychaetes) that develops from the anterior asexual part. Epitokes swim to ocean surface and release sperm and eggs during their breeding season.
Crab on dendronephthya soft coral. Indonesia.
Bristle star and crabs on a soft coral. Papua New Guinea.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a sea star (Linkia sp.). Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris michaeli). Philippines.
Crab close up. Indonesia.
Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Nudibranch (Chromidoris sp.). Philippines.
Blue starfish and soft coral reef scene. Indonesia.
Truk's wrecks are covered in orange sun corals that feed at night.
Porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) on a carpet anemone. Indonesia.
Brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) pattern. Bahamas.
Bobtail squid postures to defend itself against the bright beam of my focus light.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana). Papua New Guinea.
A sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata) at night in the open ocean.
Flabellina nudibranch. Philippines.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) out and about on a colorful reef. Indonesia.
