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Pontonides unciger
Also known as Sea Whip Coral Shrimp, Whip Shrimp and Wire Coral Shrimp. This shrimp has a transparent body with purple antennae and horizontal purple lines down its length. They feed on parasites, algae and plankton, and grow to a length of about 1.5cm.
Found exclusively on the Giant Black Coral Whip (Cirrhipathes sp.), at depths of 3 to 55m. Widespread in the Indo-Pacific region.
I spotted a family of these critters on a sea whip, at a depth of close to 100 feet (dive site: Coral Gardens, Talikud Island). Almost missed seeing them because it was just a very short whip and, of course, these shrimp are camouflaged. There were two big ones (presumably Mom & Dad), and a couple of little ones, which jumped all over the place!
Spotted on Jan 22, 2012
Submitted on Jan 22, 2012
6 Comments
They're quite a rare find, I think. So now whenever I see a whip coral, I check to see if it's hosting these tiny critters. :)
Grate spotting
Wow! is really tiny!
The camoufllage is excellent
They're quite tiny. The first time I saw one was a few months ago, but my photos were really bad then -- the polyps were out and my camera couldn't quite focus! But now at least I got some OK. :D
Ah so that's what size they are! Excellent set of shots thanks.