Malapascua is not just about Thresher Sharks. Situated in the centre of the Coral Triangle of Marine Biodiversity you can expect a lot more then ‘just’ Elasmobranchs.
Here is a list of crazy Crustaceans that Evolution’s dive guides can find for you when you visit Malapascua.
Click on images to enlarge!
Harlequin Shrimp
This is the Rolls Royce of shrimp with exquisite livery and a penchant for eating live prey. These bad boys come and go but we see them most regularly at Gato Island and Chocolate Island.
Whip Coral Shrimp and Xeno Crab
Everyone knows those trippy coral spirals that look even cooler at 30m then 10m (why is that then??). Well look a bit more closely and you’ll find one of these commensal critters camouflaged somewhere on the stem. Look out for these at Bogtong Bato and Gato Island.
Graceful Anemone Shrimp
This elegant shrimp can be seen on any dive at Evolution’s House Reef and if you’re lucky you will find a pregnant female with her eggs clearly visible through her translucent carapace. They live on various types of Anemone.
Coleman Shrimp
Another big hitter in the Crustaceans Guide to the Galaxy these love birds are always found in pairs with the female out sizing the meagre male every time. Almost always one or both have a giant parasitic isopod attached to their gills and living under the hard shell.
Mantis Shrimp
Coming in various shapes and sizes most divers are familiar with the Peacock Mantis Shrimp. The green male and tan female are naturally curious and live in burrows. From time to time the pregnant females are seen carrying her clutch of freshly laid eggs. Also common on our House Reef is the tiny Blue Spot Mantis Shrimp living in tiny holes in the hard corals. Keep your eyes open on all our dive sites for the Mantis Shrimp
Urchin Commensal Shrimp
This is one of the hardest shrimp to point out to guests but once you see it its one of the easiest to find. They live on the spines of the dark urchins that are all around the island. No, you did not waste good money for our guide to show you an urchin, look more closely at the dancing shrimp in the spines. Very common in Malapascua but comparatively rare outside this area. Look for them on Deep Slope and Bantigue.
Porcelain Crab
This one is how we start ‘spotting’ training for our Divemaster Trainees. If you can find the large Anemone you can find the small crab. These beautifully proportioned crabs have big claws and fantastic patterns. Superb for beginner photographers. You will see them at Lapus II, Gileano and of course Evolution’s House Reef.
Crinoid Shrimp
Is there any better example of evolution at work then the amazing Crinoid Shrimp? These incredible creatures live in Crinoids aka Feather Stars and match their host beautifully. For every permutation of feather star there is a Crinoid Shrimp to match making them an endless obsession for Crustaceaphiles. They are most common on our lush soft coral sites such as Bogtong Bato, Lapus Lapus and Gato Island.
Squat Shrimp
Need to know which way is up? Well let the Squat Shrimp’s tail show you the way. These small and extremely fast moving shrimp hoist there rear and repeatedly point to the surface. They like to live on carpet anemones and in cracks on the reef. Find them in Bantigue, Chocolate Island and Kalanggaman Island.
Bubble Coral Shrimp
You might need a dive guide to find this one for you but its always worth having a look yourself. Bubble Corals are common all around Malapascua but their tiny inhabitants are not. They are almost translucent except for their very simple internal biological structure which is clearly visible. This picture was taken at Bantigue.
Anenome Shrimp
A common species for our area this Shrimp is almost guaranteed on any dive site with a healthy Anemone population. They usually live in small clusters and can be quite friendly.
Crinoid Squat Lobster
You could do thousands of dives and never see one of these magnificent lobsters that are not lobsters (they are crabs) but we can show you half a dozen on Evolution’s amazing House Reef right now. They prefer the slender feather stars and are a photographer’s dream come true.
Banded Cleaner Shrimp
While many of our Crustaceans are partial to a bit of fish fungi or other such organic detritus the Banded Cleaner Shrimp makes no bones (it is an invertebrate after all) about wanting to feast on nasty bits clinging to passing fish. Larger then most on this list, its bright colouration signals to passers by that its there and ready to offer cleaning services to anyone who wants them. They are even big enough for some inventive photography!
Candy Crab
You’ll need to ask Gino to find this one for you. These elusive crabs live on our soft corals and are seen from time to time at Deep Slope and Bogtong Bato. They make themselves even harder to spot by attaching coloured polyps to their carapace.
Zebra Crab
This black and white striped beauty lives deep inside various urchins but they mostly prefer the incredibly painful Fire urchin. We get Fire Urchin gatherings several times a year at Lapus II and Bogtong and Zebra crabs are guaranteed. However they also are common on our . . . House Reef.
Rock Shrimp
This Shrimp always seems to be suspended in mid water, bouncing up and down just enough to make a sharp photo a challenge. They are often found with other species such as Squat Shrimp and Anemone Shrimp.
Orangoutang Crab
Orange, hairy and weighing 400 lbs this crab is a dead ringer for a jungle primate and most of this sentence is factually accurate. The hirsute crab loves Bubble Corals and we have seen 4 clustered together at Monad Shoal but no camera was present.
Imperial Shrimp
Also known as Emperor Shrimp these regal chaps normally hitch a ride along sea cucumbers grazing the sandy bottom. The background texture of the cucumber can make for great juxtaposition and brings out the spectacular colouration of these trophy Shrimp. Relatively uncommon again we can find up to half a dozen in the depths of Evolutions House Reef.
Peacock Tail Shrimp
Named for the first thing that came into the taxonomist’s head this creature has a vivid carapace and is prone to staying quite still so excellent for close up observation. Expect to see them at The Lighthouse.
Hingebeak Shrimp
The Hingebeak species seems to be a little photophobic and prefer dark nooks and crannies so it takes a little luck to see them clearly. They tend to live in small colonies in odd places.
Skeleton Shrimp
OK, OK before thousands of you contact us and break the internet we know that Skeleton Shrimps are actually amphipods and not shrimp at all. But they are Crustaceans and they are wondrous. Also living in colonies they often find a host hydroid or coral and dwell there in great numbers. Also known as Ghost Shrimp they are seen from time to time at Monad and Deep Slope. Spooky.
Shrimp With No Name
Yes last but not least on our list is this bug eyed denizen of many a crack or overhang. Listed as Unclassified it is one of many, many weird and wonderful Crustaceans around this area that science is yet to catch up with.
If you too have a Crustacean fetish and want to learn more about the incredible Marine life of Malapascua then just drop us a line and we’d be happy to share our passion with you.
