#decapods

[heartnosekid]

blue dream shrimp (neocaridina davidi) having a snack | shrimpsensei on ig

[weirdchristmas]

This year, I'm focusing on "less is more." Which, honestly, still involves the same amount of crabs.

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Shellback Crabs: these crabs create their own shields using discarded clamshells; they have semi-membranous bodies that can be pressed into the contours of the shell, producing a suction mechanism that holds it in place

Many Dromiidae crabs, including sponge crabs and shellback crabs, are equipped with a specialized pair of legs that allow each crab to hold a shell, sea sponge, or ascidian against its body as a defense mechanism, but shellback crabs (genus Hypoconcha) also have flexible, semi-membranous bodies that can be tucked more firmly into the contours of a bivalve shell, producing a suction mechanism that keeps the shell firmly locked in place.

The body of a shellback crab is also covered in a very fine layer of hair-like structures known as setae, and when the crab presses itself against the shell, those membranous "hairs" can take on an almost translucent appearance, particularly around the margins of the crab's body.

I recently wrote a post about a species of sponge crab known as Lamarckdromia beagle, which is another weirdly adorable member of the Dromiidae family. All of the crabs in this family seem to have their own unique adaptations that allow them to use specific materials for camouflage -- some of them use living sponges, clamshells, ascidians, debris, etc.

But I just could not stop laughing at the little faces on these shellback crabs. They've all got the same bemused and indignant expression...like some random jerk just walked up to them, flipped them over, and announced to the entire ocean that there's actually a crab hiding beneath that clamshell disguise; as if that actually happens to them quite a lot, and they're getting pretty sick of it.

Sources & More Info:

Crustaceana Monographs: Comparison of the Shell-Carrying Behaviors of Desmodromia, Conchoecetes, and Hypoconcha (p. 191)

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources: Shellback Crabs and their Larval Stages (PDF)

South Carolina Public Radio: Shellback Crabs

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Although they look like they belong on the runway, the elegant squat lobster's vivid coloration is actually a form of camoflage. These tiny crustaceans live on plant-like creatures called crinoids, or feather stars. Their hosts are brightly colored, so to blend in Allogalathea elegans pulls out all the stops!

(Image: An elegant squat lobster (Allogalathea elegans) by Ryan Paddy)

[hollowforms]

crawf

[patheticmosasaur1]

today's invertebrate.................belzebub faxoni

belzebub faxoni is the world leading expert on AI (artificial insemination) and AI (artificial intelligence). why those 2 unrelated fields?? because he was told to study them in a dream!

now you might think that it's utter hogwash to partake in such careers simply because of a 'vision', but 'studies' have 'shown' that belzebub faxoni's dreams are always objectively correct and worth following. how? nobody knows because everyone involved in said studies died

glorpiness rating: the do ♥️

what a weird face. looks a lot like the larvae of some crustaceans!

photographs by squidpastry (CC BY-NC 4.0)

[agiantshark]

Solnhofen shrimp (Upper Jurassic), featuring fan favorites Aeger spinipes, Antrimpos speciosus and Dusa monocera and pisces indet..

I have lost my sanity over drawing shrimp legs, so I will be drawing legless animals for a while.

[taxonomytournament]

Taxonomy Tournament: Crustaceans

Decapods. This order includes crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, and prawns.

Isopoda. This order is made up of isopods, including terrestrial species like the potato bug and aquatic species like the giant isopod. Some eat dead matter, others are filter feeders, and some are parasites, mostly of fish.

Which clade of animals is better?

Decapods

Isopoda

Show results

Voting ended onMar 16, 2024