Look what I found in my Monti

[afishfanatic]

I bought this ecrusting montiopra a month or so ago and noticed there were lots of holes in the rock and the coral itself. After inspection I found nothing. But yesterday, this is what I discovered. :shock:

 

[Allen Michelle]

what is it?

 

[Kitty]

I had a couple of those in a Christmas Tree rock! Even after the coral itself died, I kept the rock, as the two little buggers were still in it - and the rock is in my sump.

If you have any feather dusters living in the rock...I think these "take over" holes in the rocks.

 

[Ashlar]

Really hard to tell.. anything from one of those commensal hermit crabs to a mantis shrimp.. did you get a better look at him?

 

[afishfanatic]

Here is another picture. It shows both marble-white claws.

 

[Ashlar]

Okay, that's just too cool.. my little commensal in porites with christmas tree worms doesn't look that cool.. are his antenna 'fuzzy' like a feather?

 

[afishfanatic]

Scott, its hard to tell. It is very small. If I had to guess, I would say they are not feathered, but smooth.

 

[Ashlar]

If he's super tiny, then yah, sounds like one of the commensal ones. Just never seen a pic of one with that patterning.

 

[this_reefer]

It appears to be some sort of shrimp or something like that in a hole???

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[melev]

Here you go:

http://www.melevsreef.com/id/paguritta.html

 

[Ashlar]

Marc, I have one with the same patterning on the claws.

Just never seen one with those cool spot like pattern.

http://www.rowelab.com/fish/commensal.jpg

 

[melev]

Here you go:

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[Ashlar]

The diversity of hitchhikers never ceases to amaze me.

 

[afishfanatic]

Marc, that's the one!

Now I have just found an odd crab in the rock. I will try to get a picture of it and post it.