ID help and advice needed

[RussR]

Can someone tell me what this is? And what all the little bubbles are?

Also what could I have done to get a better shot?

Thanks

Russ
(sp350/DS51 w/manual controller)

[diver 85]

Can someone tell me what this is? And what all the little bubbles are?

Also what could I have done to get a better shot?

Thanks

Russ
(sp350/DS51 w/manual controller)

1st thing I thought was to crop more of it(off)......pretty good pic overall IMO......

[Warren_L]

Looks like a Pederson cleaner shrimp.

[Gilligan]

I'll second Warren_L

Did you take the photo in the Carib?

The distribution of the Periclimenes pedersoni is South Florida, Bahamas and Carib. It is the best known cleaner shrimp in the Carib.

[RussR]

I took it in Belize, so yes the Carib. And I agree it is a Pederson cleaner shrimp

What are all the bubbles surrounding it? Are they eggs?

[CUunderH2O]

That's a corkscrew anemone around/behind it. There's also a set of antennae from a snapping shrimp inside the anemone !

[AUTiger]

Here's something similar from a different viewpoint. You can see a corkscrew anemone, two Pederson cleaner shrimp and the red and white antennae of a snapping shrimp sticking out. There is also an arrow crab to the left. I loved this reef scene on the Prince Albert outside of CocoView in Roatan. I would check on them every day and see the same crab and up to five cleaner shrimp, two of which were carrying eggs. I didn't recognize the snapping shrimp until the end. By the end of the week, it was almost like visiting with an old neighbor.

For a better shot, try to shoot horizontally or upward instead of from above. The Pedersons are also good to get close up. Often, their bellies will be filled with white eggs. Also, they have transparent legs (except for their arms) so its harder to get a shot where you can see their legs.

I wish that I had my D80/60mm lens on this trip instead of my old Oly.

David

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/WetTiger/Roatan%202006/ThePedersonNeighborhood.jpg

[AUTiger]

Here's a pregnant Pederson shrimp!

David

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v642/WetTiger/Roatan%202006/PedersonCleanerShrimppregnant.jpg

[RussR]

Nice Pics! Were they shot with a macro lens?

I had no idea that was an anemone (the corkscrew)

Thanks for the info

[AUTiger]

They were shot with an Olympus C-5060 in an Ikelite housing, probably with the Inon 165mm macro lens. I had an Ikelite DS-125 strobe.

David