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Megalopa Crab are the final stage larvae of Crabs. During the larvae stages of their life cycle, this Crustaceans are found in the water column and usually active at night when they feeds, among tiny planktons. This particular Crab is less than 1 cm in size and I was surprised to noticed something on top of its shell, which turned out to be a Barnacle. The Barnacle was extending its feather-like feeding appendages, called cirri brushing through the water collecting planktons. Had to take many shots to capture the sequence when the cirri were fully extended as shown in both pics.
Picture was taken during Black Water dive at night, meaning in water column over areas with depths of 100 meters or deeper.
Spotted on Jan 2, 2019
Submitted on Feb 6, 2019
31 Comments (1–25)
Congratulations!
Thanks, @ornithoptera80 and @Tukup for your kind words and appreciation :)
Congratulations again, Albert. That is some weird photo. Well done.
Congrats(:
Congratulations AlbertKang! Your Crab Larva and Barnacle Spotting tied for third place in our 2019 Best Wildlife Photo Contest - Arthropods Category!
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Thanks, @Alex Salcedo, @Gilma, @triggsturner, @armadeus.4 and @Michael for your kind words and appreciation :)
Congrats on a well deserved SOTW
Congratulations on SOTW Albert! Incredible shots. Thank you for sharing :)
Amazing shot....and congrats......You all are an inspiration to me...
Congratulations on your SOTW Albert. Stunning images as usual.
I just can not get enough of your amazing spotting...Thank you for sharing Albert.
Thanks, @Michael & @Lauren for your kind words and appreciation :)
Congratulations Albert and wonderful pictures under difficult conditions!
Simply amazing shot!! Congrats on SOTW!!
Thanks, @phantomailbox :D
Amazing photo! Congratulations and thanks for sharing this!
Thanks, @Neil Ross for your kind words and support :)
Congratulations on your much-deserved SOTW, Albert. That is an amazing spotting.
Thanks, @Daniele for another SOTW :)
Thanks too, @Antonio and @Tukup for your kind words and support :)
Terrific shots Albert. Well worth the extra time to get the pose you need. Well deserved SOTW. Thanks so much for sharing.
Fantastic capture Albert,not even in a SYFY movie they could imagine such a alien face:-) congrats on the very ell deserved SOTW ,perfect for the theme of our new 2019 best wild photo and thanks for sharing
Congratulations Albert, that great catch and somehow alien-like encounter earned you a Spotting of the Week! Also, many of us had never seen a crab larva ;-)
"Spotting of the Week! How do crustaceans such as crabs begin their life? Between hatching from their eggs and reaching adult form they go through a number of larval and immature stages. For decapods such as crabs the last developmental or post-larval stage is known as 'megalopa'. As seen here, that stage is quite similar to the adult form. What about that 'appendage' on top of our mini-crab? It turns out to be a barnacle! Check out the spotting for more information".
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Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Thanks, @Daniele, added to the Mission :D
Thanks too, @Maria for your kind words and support :)
That is so cool, Albert! The portrait in the first photo could serve as a model for a science fiction film! :)