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Project Noah Nature School
Hoplophrys oatesii
Also known as Oate's Soft Coral Crab, Soft Coral Crab, Soft Coral Spider Crab, Commensal Soft Coral Crab and Dendronephthya Crab. They feed on plankton, and grow to a length of about 1.5cm.
Found on coral and rocky reefs mimicking the soft coral it sits on, at depths of 5 to 15m. Widespread in the Indo-Pacific region.
Spotted this camouflaged critter on a mauve spiky soft coral (Dendronephthya sp.) at a depth of about 20m; dive site: Dayang Beach.
Spotted on Apr 7, 2012
Submitted on Apr 11, 2012
3 Comments
They look awesome
Thanks, AshishNimkar & FrancisQuintana!
Not a very good angle, though. I'll try to get better pictures of this pretty critter next time. :)
Its very small wonder...