INVERTEBRATES
Arthropods
Shrimp
1. Banded Coral Shrimp
- By pair
- Long white antennas
- Monitoring: only monitor 2 if pair is seen
- Up to 20cm
2. Other Cleaner
a. Ghost boxer, White Banded, Clear cleaner
b. Red and White
c. By pair or more
d. Up to 20cm
3. Harlequin Shrimp
a. White with blue and purple circular markings
b. Wide, flat claws
c. In pairs living under rocks and shallows near sea floor
d. Feed on star fish
e. Up to 5cm
4. Other Shrimp/prawn
a. Monitor when more than 5cm
5. Mantis Shrimp
a. 2 basic groups: smashers and spears
b. Up to 20cm
Lobsters
1. Common Lobster
2. Spiny Lobster
a. Nocturnal bottom-dwellers, stay under shallow ledge overhands
b. Up to 30cm
c. Monitoring: not include antennae
3. Slipper Lobster
a. Up to 30cm
Crabs
1. True Crabs
a. Four pairs of visible walking legs
b. No noticeable antennae
c. Monitor only when more than 5cm
i. Hermit crabs not monitored
2. Box crab
a. Up to 15cm
3. Swimming crab
a. Up to 20cm
4. Round crabs
a. Up to 20cm
5. Decorator crabs
Gastropods
ID Info
- Commercially valuable
- Grazing on turf/browse on seagrass and algae
Herbivorous Snails - Family
1. Scorpion spider conch
- Grazing on turf/browse on seagrass and algae
- Bottom dwellers, not on reef
- Up to 25cm
2. Other Conchs: 3 Categories
- Grazing on turf/browse on seagrass and algae
- Reef/seagrass
- Up to 15cm
3. Big Lip
- Up to 12cm
- Thick, curled shell with 2 eye spots
4. Mimic
- Up to 10cm
5. Small
- Up to 6cm
- Frilly edge
6. Smooth Turban Shell
- Usually not camouflaged, brown coloration
- Reef substrate
- Up to 9cm
7. Rocky Turban
- Reef substrate in crevices/on rocks
- Up to 10cm
8. Giant Turban Shell
- Green or pink, unlike smooth which is brown
- Reef substrate
- Up to 20cm
9. Flat Turban Shell
- Rocky substrate and seagrass
- Up to 15cm
Tops
1. Nilo 10cm
2. Other 10cm
Abalone
- Reef walls, shallow rocks, sinkers, etc.
- Up to 40cm
Predatory Snails
1. Triton (Sp.)
- Reef extremities, reef flat
- Up to 40cm
- Eat echinoderms (inc. crown of thorns)
2. Horned Helmet (Sp.)
- Large shell, banded cream and brown
- Reef extremities, reef flat, partially buried in sand when stationary
- Up to 40cm
- Eat echinoderms (inc. crown of thorns)
3. Bonnet (Family)
- Smooth, light brown and grey
- Gold markings near mantle
- Eat echinoderms (inc. crown of thorns)
- Reef extremities, reef flat, partially buried in sand when stationary
- Up to 20cm
4. Tun (Family)
- Round without longitudinal ridges
- Feed on small inverts
- Reef flats, sandy/muddy areas
- Up to 25cm
5. Harp (Family)
- Red/brown with Longitudinal ridges
- Reef flats, sandy/muddy areas
- Up to 15cm
6. Volutes (Family)
- Elongated shell with vertical spirale and spikes
- Eat small invertebrates
- Reef substrate
- Up to 16cm
7. Moon shell (Family)
- Smooth and shiny, not camouflaged
- Carnivores
- Sand, seagrass, bottom dweller
- Up to 5cm
8. Olive shell (Family)
- Conical, open cut in front and spiral back
- Eat small invertebrates
- Sand, seagrass, bottom dweller
- Up to 9cm
9. Frog shell (Family)
- Eats bristle worms
- Reef substrate
- Up to 40cm
10. Cone shell (Family)
- Small invertebrates into sand, sometimes fish
- Sand, seagrass, reef, closer to the bottom
- Up to 40cm
11. Sand Murex (Sp)
- Feed on molluscs
- Soft sediment, bottom dwellers
- Up to 20cm
12. Rock Murex
- Feed on molluscs
- Reef substrate
- Up to 13cm and 30cm for [Link]
13. Drupella
- Eat branching and fast growing corals
- Reef substrate, in groups on coral
- Up to 4cm
14. Coralliophila
- Eat hard corals with high porites
- Reef substrates
- Up to 4cm
15. Tiger Cowries
- Feed on soft corals
- Reef substrate
- Up to 15cm
16. Common egg Cowrie
- Feed on soft corals
- Reef substrate
- Up to 10cm
17. Other Cowries
- Feed on soft corals
- Reef substrate
- Up to 10cm
18. Other shells
- Monitor if more than 5cm