Humpback shrimp (Saron sp.). Fiji.
Squid larva feeding on a larval mantis shrimp. Solomon Islands.
A sea elephant (Pterotrachea coronata) at night in the open ocean.
Squat lobster in a crinoid. Indonesia.
Colorful shrimp doing yoga on a blackwater dive in Truk Lagoon.
Juvenile banded mantis shrimp (Lysiosquilla maculata) reflecting off the surface on a blackwater dive in Palau.
Peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensiger). Papua New Guinea.
A Hawaiian bobtail squid (Euprymna scolopes) on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
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.
Bird's eye view of painted spiny lobster (Panulirus vesicolor). Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Flabellina sp.). Indonesia.
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.
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.
Barred wire coral shrimp (Pontonides sp.). Fiji.
Juvenile saron shrimp near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
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.
Chromodoris kuniei nudibranch. Indonesia.
A reef squid on a bonfire dive in the Solomon Islands.
Crinoid squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans). Indonesia.
A spotted cleaner shrimp (Periclimenes yucatanicus) in a pink-tipped anemone. Bahamas
A sea cucumber (Holothuroidea sp.) extends off the reef and releases gametes in the current.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemenes sp.). Indonesia.
Head on shot of peacock mantis shrimp (Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis) carrying a large clutch of eggs. Philippines.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris willani). Indonesia.
Nudibranchs (Chromodoris willani) at night. Philippines.
Reef squid in defense posture on a blackwater dive. Solomon Islands.
Blue starfish and soft coral reef scene. Indonesia.
Pram bug (Phronima sedentaria) in the barrel of salp.
Porcelain anemone crab (Neopetrolisthes maculosus) on a carpet anemone. Indonesia.
Blue boxer shrimp (Stenopus tenuirostris). Indonesia.
A flamboyant cuttlefish (Metasepia pfefferi) lifts off from the muck in search of food. Indonesia.
California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus). California.
Juvenile cuttlefish. Papua New Guinea.
Juvenile Hawaiian Saron shrimp (Saron marmoratus) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) on a sea cucumber. Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Chromidoris sp.). Philippines.
Bristle star and crabs on a soft coral. Papua New Guinea.
Flabellina iodinea - a common nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) at night. Palau.
A bright orange bristle star on a soft coral. Tonga.
Giant marine hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes ) on a wreck in the Bahamas.
A mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) peers out of its den. Indonesia.
An emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator ) on a serpentine sea cucumber. Indonesia.
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.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris lochi). Philippines.
Collected pink jellyfish (Pelagia species). Hawaii.
Spider crab (Hyastenus bispinosus) on gorgonian. Fiji.
Green-eye dancing shrimp (Cinetorhynchus sp.). Fiji.
An octopus larva hitches a ride on a leaf on a blackwater dive in the Solomon Islands.
Odd looking donald duck shrimp (Leander plumosus) on a coral. Indonesia.
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.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
A close-up of the of the red pencil urchin's (Heterocentrotus mammillatus) spines and skeleton (test). Hawaii.
Soft coral crab (Hoplophrys oatesi). Indonesia.
A banded coral shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) in the Bahamas.
A crinoid (Crinoid sp) looking stylish at night. Indonesia.
Blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) juvenile on Halimeda algae. Papua New Guinea.
Crab on dendronephthya soft coral. Indonesia.
Yellow spotted guard crab (Trapezia flavopunctata) collected as postlarva, raised in my aquarium and photographed in the studio. Hawaii.
Crinoid shrimp (Hippolyte catagrapha). Philippines.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha kubaryana). Papua New Guinea.
Two soft corals attached to a giant giant clam (Tridachna gigas) in Palau.
Juvenile squid schooling at night. Florida.
Larval squid releasing ink. Papua New Guinea.
Jewel anemone (Corynactis virids).
Juvenile octopus reflects off the surface (Octopus sp.) in Papua New Guinea.
Head on shot of spiny tiger shrimp (Phyllognathia ceratophthalmus). Indonesia.
Anenome shrimp (Periclemens sp.). Indonesia.
Two-spot lizardfish (Synodus binotatus) with four stages of parasitic isopods. Tonga.
Head on shot of painted spiny lobster (P. versicolor). Fiji.
Emperor shrimp or Imperial shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Pelagic nudibranch (about 3/4") on a blackwater dive off Oahu, Hawaii
Crab close up. Indonesia.
Mantis shrimp larva - 65.0 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Collected sea swallow (Glaucus atlanticus), a pelagic aeolid nudibranch. Hawaii.
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 spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
Bigfin reef squid (Sepioteuthis lessoniana). Philippines.
Collected blue pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
Collected unidentifed pelagic crustacean larva. Hawaii.
Mating nudibranchs (Nembrotha lineolata). Indonesia.
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.
Two giant basket stars (Astrophyton muricatum) at night. Indonesia.
Dozens of starfish cover a sand bed at Cocos Island. Costa Rica.
Ctenophore gleaming in iridescence at night in the open ocean.
Starfish. Papua New Guinea.
Head on shot of a shrimp's eyes. Philippines.
Nudibranch (Chromodoris michaeli). Philippines.
Saron shrimp (Saron sp.) in a crevice. Papua New Guinea.
Spotted spiny lobster (Panulirus guttatus). Bahamas.
A bobtail squid near the surface at night in Truk Lagoon.
Yellow crinoid shrimp. Indonesia.
Flabellina nudibranch. Indonesia.
Bobtail squid postures to defend itself against the bright beam of my focus light.
A salp (pelagic tunicate)(about 2") in the open ocean at night.
Anemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus). Indonesia.
Reef squid (Cephalapod sp.). Palau.
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.
Brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) pattern. Bahamas.
Ctenophore (about 2") feeding on a bristle worm on a blackwater dive off Oahu.
Two bubble coral shrimp (Vir philippinensis) in an anemone. Papua New Guinea.
Decorator crab. Indonesia.
Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius). Papua New Guinea.
Collected pelagic copepod (Sapphirina sp.) - 4.5 mm TL. Hawaii.
Flabellina nudibranch. Philippines.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Flabellina iodinea nudibranch. California.
Harlequin shrimp (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a sea star (Linkia sp.). Indonesia.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha sp.) on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Pyrosome at night. Pyrosomes are actually free-floating colonial tunicates made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. California.
Shrimp hitching a ride on a colonial radiolarian at night in the open ocean off Oahu, Hawaii.
Truk's wrecks are covered in orange sun corals that feed at night.
Crab on a softcoral. Papua New Guinea.
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.
Over-under scene of jellyfish under mangroves in Palau.
Coral pattern. Palau.
Nudibranch (Nembrotha purpureolineata). Papua New Guinea.
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.
A swimming bristle worm at night. 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.
Squid (Cephalapod sp.) under rain drops. Palau.
Hyperiid amphipod frequently parasitize hydromedusa and other gelatinous animals.
Two fairy crabs (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
Octopus larva - 9.5 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
Hermissenda opalescens nudibranch in the Channel Islands.
Crab megalopa collected in an egg tow. Hawaii.
A pair of harlequin shrimps (Hymenocera elegans) feeding on a starfish (Linkia sp.) in Indonesia.
Swimming pelagic marine copepod (5.7 mm). Hawaii.
Head shot of a pelagic shrimp. Hawaii.
A cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) at dusk.
Nudibranch on a tunicate. Indonesia.
Saw blade shrimp (Tozeuma armatum) carrying eggs. Philippines.
Portuguese man-of-war reeling in a damselfish larva at night in the open ocean.
Lobster larva near settlement. Indonesia.
Fairy crab (Lauriea siagiani). Papua New Guinea.
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.
Common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) out and about on a colorful reef. Indonesia.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator). Philippines.
Emperor shrimp (Periclimenes imperator) lives commensally on a number of hosts, including this sea slug: Hexabranchus. Philippines.
Hyperiid amphipods riding a jellyfish (hydromedusa) at night in the open ocean.
Squid larva - 12.6 mm TL. Papua New Guinea.
