#coral reef invertebrates

[uncharismatic-fauna]

You can read more about one species, the greater blue ringed octopus, here!

Meet blue-ringed octopuses, members of the genus Hapalochlaena. They inhabit coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Though they usually measure less than 8 inches (20. 3 cm) at their largest, keep your distance: Blue-ringed octopuses are among the world’s deadliest cephalopods. Their venomous bite can instantly paralyze, and even kill, a human. Photo: Angell Williams, CC BY 2.0, flickr https://www.instagram.com/p/CqggM3uqGEK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: Christmas tree worm

Merry Christmas from the ocean! For this festive occasion, I’ve chosen to cover an animal that certainly has the spirit of the season. The Christmas tree worm is the person who keeps their Christmas lights up all year of the sea and today we’re going to see what makes them tick.

(Image: the crown of a Christmas tree worm. It appears as two stalks emerging from amongst coral polyps. Small feathery, appendages emerge from the stalks in a spiral formation going up them. They are yellow, with brown tips. A smaller, round structure is near the base of the trees. End ID)

The Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus) is a polychaete worm of the tube-building fan worm clade Sabellida. While they are called giganteus, that’s only relative to other fan worms as they max out at about 3.8 cm (1.5 in) long. Being tube worms, they build a tube of calcium carbonate that they live in. This tube provides protection for the worm, who can retreat into it if threatened by predators. Polychaetes are defined by the paired bristle-like chaetes on each body segment, which are often used for locomotion. Tube worms like the Christmas tree worm lack these kind of locomotive appendages as they spend their entire lives in their tubes.

I couldn't find a full-body picture of a Christmas tree worm outside of its tube, so this is the best you get. (Image: Serpula vermicularis, a member of the same family of tube worms as the Christmas tree worm, removed from its tube. It is a short, segmented worm with a plug on a stalk and a crown consisting of long, feathery tentacles arranged differently than those of a Christmas tree worm. End ID)

The feature that gives these worms their common name is a pair of feathery, spiraling structures that emerge from the head and look quite a bit like tiny, colorful fir trees. These structures, called crowns, are heavily modified version of mouth appendages called prostomial palps. The feathery bits are tentacles called radioles. The crown is usually the only part of the worm visible, with the rest of its body safely in the tube. The crown is used both for feeding and respiration, as it can perform gas exchange with the water like gills. Christmas tree worms, like other fan worms, are filter feeders. They expose their crows to the water and wait for edible plankton and bits or organic detritus to get caught by the radioles. Cilia then transports the food down to the mouth. Christmas tree worms have a modified radiole called an operculum that acts like a lid to the front of the tube, closing it off when the worm retreats. The crown also has light-sensing structures, allowing it to detect light and shadow. The visual capabilities of these eye spots is poorly studied. The crown makes up about a third of the body length and can come in a wide variety of colors. It can regenerate if damaged.

(Image: a blue-crowned Christmas tree worm emerging from yellow coral. End ID)

Christmas tree worms are found across most of the world, from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacific, in tropical waters. They are coral reef dwellers who live in burrows built into had corals. Brain coral species are their preferred hosts, but they can live on other corals and have been reported living in sponges and on giant clams. Christmas tree worms certainly have a symbiotic relationship with the corals, it's debatable whether that relationship is parasitic, commensal, or mutualistic. They may damage nearby polyps and could spread harmful algae (that seems to be an open question), but I found sources suggesting they improve water flow around the coral, which could benefit it. When they sense a threat, the worms will rapidly retract into their tubes. Some time later (which can be seconds to minutes), they will cautiously emerge again. Worms living on crowded corals seem to be more timid, taking longer to emerge again. Christmas tree worms are broadcast spawners who release their gametes into the water. Fertilized eggs hatch quickly into larvae who must find their way to a coral and start their burrow. Christmas tree worms can live up to 30 years.

(GIF: a bright yellow Christmas tree worm retracting into its tube. The full retraction takes less than a second and leaves only a hole covered by the operculum. End ID)

Christmas tree worms are considered to have a stable population, but as they are dependent on corals, threats to reefs are threats to them. Thus, global climate change is a major threat to their survival. Predators of the worms include fish, starfish, and other worms. They are not of commercial interest to humans, but are popular among divers and have entered the aquarium trade.

(Image: multiple Christmas tree worms of various colors emerging from a coral. End ID)

[heartnosekid]

guiltfreeaquatics on ig

[colorsoutofearth]

Yellow tube sponge (Aplysina fistularis)

Photo by Alex Mustard

[dr-otter]

Do I know anyone here with a saltwater reef tank? Ever had to deal with a flatworm infestation?

I recently got some biopsies from Caribbean Acropora that were losing tissue and dying. These guys are full of flatworms, and while there are several species of flatworm described on corals in the Pacific and in aquaria on Pacific species, I can't find any references that mention a Caribbean variety, or even an Atlantic one, at all. It's pretty difficult to get an ID beyond "flatworm" from routine histology but I might get tissue to sequence using laser capture microdissection that I can compare to other known species.

I think these might be escapees from someone's hobby aquarium, just possibly. It's also possible that they are a native species no one noticed before but the fact that they are such a big aquarium pest has me worried.

This is why we should never dump an aquarium into wild waters or release any kind of pet that isn't native, or even that is but has had contact with non-native species, into the wild. You never know what else you're unleashing. You might be killing coral reefs.

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis)

West Atlantic, Caribbean Sea

Status: Critically Endangered

Threats: ocean warming

they're pretty cute. interesting. kind of a homebody. but mostly - have you SEEN the rack they've got?

These coral are an asexually-reproducing, hermaphroditic organism, so I used the pronoun 'they' in the dumb caption above.

On that note, let me get on a soapbox for just one second.

If you're like me, you might be alarmed and a bit afraid at the anti-transgender frenzy and laws going on in the US right now. (Though perhaps, sadly, not surprised.) If not, I urge you to care.

I saw a graphic a few months back that said "First they came for the trans people, and I spoke up immediately because I've read the rest of the fucking poem."

The laws that are going into effect are scary not just for trans people (who we should be concerned about anyway! I mean, JFC!). But if you look at the concepts of some of this stuff passing in Florida, Missouri, and other places, and the precedents they set — bans on adults' freedom to choose their own medical care for their own bodies, parents accused of child abuse for "non-government approved" medical treatment, and more. Fucking scary.

So if you can, and if you're in the US, please see if you can pay attention, whatever that looks like — school board meetings, political candidates, etc. It's not likely to end with just LGBTQ people and more importantly we need to protect trans kids now.

With that, here’s a trans flag coral! ✌🏻

[delcat177]

I mean, we are. Animals are. We were all aquatic invertebrates at one point, and we learned to carry around little bits of the ocean inside us, and make them into hard structures to base soft cells around. Corals took this and made stationary reefs. Ancestral animals took it and made tide pools of themselves so they could leave the ocean. So *we* could leave the ocean.

People think "skulls on sticks" and no, no. Your mouth has more in common with a clam than you like to think. Your hollow organs are ponds that your fluids pass through, filled with millions of living creatures. Whatever's between your legs, it's like a gastropod without eyes, slithering in and out of your body in response to stimuli, and the gastropod *with* eyes is directionally opposed to it, following its own senses. The long bits between are long because it's how the reef locomotes to feed both, so that zygote packets can be exchanged and a new coral reef can be ejected to preserve the old one before it dies.

All so we could live on land, the minimal third of this green planet.

We are aliens in a strange land. It's honestly very comforting.

I bet octopuses think bones are horrific. I bet all their cosmic horror stories involve rigid-limbs and hinged joints.

[fuckingrecipes]

Wait, which animals raise livestock?

Several species of ants will 'herd' aphids around (a type of plant lice)- even picking them up and putting them back with the group if they wander off. The ants will attack anything that approaches their aphid herds, defending them. The aphids produce a sugary excretion called honeydew, which the ants harvest and eat.

Some ants will even 'milk' the aphids, stroking the aphids with their antennae, to stimulate them to release honeydew. Some aphids have become 'domesticated' by the ants, and depend entirely on their caretaker ants to milk them.

When the host plant is depleted of resources and dies, the ants will pick up their herd of aphids and carry them to a new plant to feed on - a new 'pasture' if you will.

Some ants continue to care for aphids overwinter, when otherwise they'd die. The ants carry aphid eggs into their own nests, and will even go out of their way to destroy the eggs of aphid-predators, like ladybugs.

--

Microhylids – or narrow-mouthed frogs - have an interesting symbiosis with Tarantulas.

While the spiders could very easily kill and eat the much-tinier frogs, and DO normally prey on small frogs, young spiders instead will use their mouthparts to pick up the microhylid frogs, bring them back to their burrow, and release them unharmed.

The frog benefits from hanging out in/around the burrow of the tarantula, because the tarantula can scare away or eat predators that normally prey on tiny frogs, like snakes, geckos, and mantids. The tarantula gets a babysitter.

Microhylid frogs specialize in eating ants, and ants are one of the major predators of spider eggs. By eating ants, the frogs protect the spider's eggs. The frogs can also lay their eggs in the burrow, and won't be eaten by the spider.

So it's less 'livestock' and more like a housepet - a dog or a cat. You stop coyotes/eagles from hurting your little dog/cat, and in return the dog/cat keeps rats away from your baby.

--

Damselfish grow algae on rocks and corals. They defend these gardens ferociously, and will attack anything that comes too close - even humans. They spend much of their time weeding the gardens, removing unwanted algaes that might overtake their crop.

The species of algae that they cultivate is weak and and sensitive to growing conditions, and can easily be overgrazed by other herbivores. That particular algae tends to grow poorly in areas where damselfish aren't around to protect and farm it.

Damselfish will ALSO actively protect Mysidium integrum (little shrimp-like crustacians) in their reef farms, despite eating other similarly sized invertebrates. The mysids are filter feeders, who feed on zooplankton and free-floating algae, and their waste fertilizes the algae farms. Many types of zooplankton can feed on the algae crop, and the mysids prevent that.

While Mysids can be found around the world, the only place you'll find swarms of Musidium integrum is on the algae farms that Damselfish cultivate.

Damselfish treat the little mysids like some homesteaders treat ducks. Ducks eat snails and other insect pests on our crops, and their poop fertilizes the land. The ducks can be eaten, but aren't often, since they're more useful for their services than their meat.

--

There are SEVERAL species of insect and animal which actively farm. They perform fungiculture and horticulture: deliberately growing and harvesting fungus and plants at a large-scale to feed their population.

Leaf-cutter ants and Termites both chew up plant material and then seed it with a specific type of fungus. The fungus grows, and the termites/ants harvest the mushroom as a food source.

Ambrosia beetles burrow into decaying trees, hollow out little farming rooms, and introduce a specific fungii (the ambrosia fungi), which both adults and larval beetles feed on.

Marsh Periwinkles (a type of snail) cultivates fungus on cordgrass. They wound the plant with their scraping tongue, then defecate into the wound so their preferred fungus will infect it and grow there. They let the fungus grow in the wound a bit, and come back later to eat.

[saltywaveaustralia]

Planet Earth - Our Home in Focus - Clownfish & Sea Anemone

Watch the first episode of my new video series ‘Planet Earth – Our Home in Focus’ – featuring the fabulous Clownfish & SeaAnemone 🪸🐠 Clownfish & Sea Anemone Illustration 🐠 Gabrielle Ahern #saltywave #sciencevideo #visualstoryteller #exploremore #seacreatures #ocean #oceansounds #oceanwildlife #fish #invertebrates #coralreefs #biodiversity #clownfish #seaanemone #marineconservation #invertebratezoology

[vestaignis]

Кузовок-кубик Ostracion cubicus.

Обитает в водах Тихого и Индийского океанов в районах рифов, а также в Атлантическом океане у юго-западного побережья Африки.Продолжительность жизни в среднем составляет до 6 лет.

Это достаточно крупная рыба, максимальная длина тела до 45 см. Основной отличительной характеристикой данного вида рыб является кубическая форма его тела. Молодые представители отряда иглобрюхообразных имеют длину до 4 см и яркий желтый оттенок с редким вкраплением контрастных тёмных пятнышек. С течением времени тело рыбки может терять свою необычную форму, вытягиваясь, и приобретать грязно-коричневый оттенок, при этом серединка посветлевших пятен становится голубой. Тело кубика защищено костными пластинами, образующие достаточно крепкий панцирь. Благодаря подобному строению рыба способна отлично защищаться от хищников. Кроме того, кубики при ранении или тревоге могут выделять через кожу токсичную слизь, вырабатываемую в кишечнике и накапливающуюся в печени. Она способна убивать любую оказавшуюся поблизости рыбу. При этом, у кузовок-кубиков нет колючих игл, а лучи плавничков - мягкие. Грудными плавниками эти рыбки прогоняют воду через жабры, а не только используют их для плавания.

Обитают в защищенных лагунах и рифах. Ведут бентопелагический образ жизни. Молодняк часто встречается среди жестких кораллов Акропора. Обычная глубина обитания до 50 м. Максимальная зарегистрированная глубина обитания составила 280 м. Кузовки-кубики очень пугливы и при опасности прячутся в гуще кораллов. Встречаются поодиночке. Питается водорослями, различными беспозвоночными, моллюсками, губками. В период размножения у кузовков существуют брачные игры: самец кружится вокруг самки и затем они подымаются высоко над рифом, иногда даже к поверхности воды.

Cube fish Ostracion cubicus.

It lives in the waters of the Pacific and Indian Oceans in reef areas, as well as in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Africa. Life expectancy is on average up to 6 years.

This is a fairly large fish, the maximum body length is up to 45 cm. The main distinguishing characteristic of this fish species is the cubic shape of its body. Young representatives of the pufferfish order have a length of up to 4 cm and a bright yellow hue with rare interspersed contrasting dark spots. Over time, the body of the fish can lose its unusual shape, stretching out, and acquire a dirty brown hue, while the middle of the lightened spots becomes blue. The body of the cube is protected by bone plates, forming a fairly strong shell. Thanks to this structure, the fish is able to defend itself from predators. In addition, when injured or alarmed, cubes can secrete toxic mucus through the skin, which is produced in the intestines and accumulates in the liver. It is capable of killing any fish that is nearby. At the same time, cube boxfish do not have prickly needles, and the rays of the fins are soft. These fish use their pectoral fins to push water through their gills, and not only use them for swimming.

They live in protected lagoons and reefs. They lead a benthopelagic lifestyle. Juveniles are often found among hard Acropora corals. The usual habitat depth is up to 50 m. The maximum recorded habitat depth was 280 m. Cube boxfish are very timid and hide in the thick of corals when in danger. They are found alone. They feed on algae, various invertebrates, mollusks, and sponges. During the breeding season, boxfish have mating games: the male circles around the female and then they rise high above the reef, sometimes even to the surface of the water.

Источник: //www.egypt-divers.ru/redsea-fauna/ryiba-kuzovok, /dzen.ru/a/Y2Nw1mZlZVQOmx-Z,/ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Кузовок-кубик#:~:text=Кузовок-кубик%20(лат.,у%20юго-западного %20 побережья%20Африки.,/ru.pinterest.com/pin/141159769543881080/, multiurok.ru/blog/morskaia-ryba-kuzovok-kubik.html,/aquarium-style.ru/morskaya-akvariumistika/morskie-ryby/skorpenoobraznye-kambaloobraznye-skalozuboobraznye-udilshchikoobraznye /item / body-cube.html,/animals.pibig.info/12145-ryba-kuzovok-kubik.html.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Stop a Moment for the Sand Striker

Also known as the bobbit worm, Eunice aphroditois is a marine bristle worm endemic to both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, in waters up to 95 m (311 ft) deep. Because they spend most of their time under ground, the sand striker is rarely seen. However, they can be found in both coral reefs and deeper, rocky or sandy ocean floors-- anywhere they can hide and ambush prey.

This species of bristle worm is famous for its hunting methods. Individuals live in burrows deep under ground, with an entrance covered by sand or rocks, and only emerge at night. They keep these burrows stable by secreting a mucus-like substance which coats the sandy walls and keeps them in place. Because their eyes are rudimentary at best, sand strikers use their five antennae to sense passing prey-- usually fish, but also algae or organic debris. When their target is close enough, E. aphroditois ambushes it and drags it back down into the burrow with its large mandibles. This process is extraordinarily fast; bobbit worms have been clocked moving at 6 m (20 ft) per second. The mandibles are also retractible, which helps the bobbit worm swallow its prey.

Though only their heads are usually visible, the sand striker has an impressive body. They can grow to be 1- 3 m (3-10 ft) long, although they’re typically only 25 mm (1 in) wide. Like other bristle worms, their bodies are made up of segments, protected by a hard, irridescent exoskeleton. Most sand strikers are deep purple or black, although individuals in a variety of colors have been documented. In addition to their exoskeleton, bobbit worms also sport sharp, venomous tentacles down the length of their body to deter threats. Adults are typically avoided by other, larger predators, but juveniles can be targeted by fish.

E. aphroditois lacks external reproductive organs, and instead is a broadcast spawner. When they’re ready to mate, female sand strikers produce a pheromone that attracts males and signals them to release their sperm. The females them release their eggs into the water, where they become fertilized and develop into larvae. These larvae swim freely for several months to a year, during which many become food for other animals. The survivors begin to segment and burrow into the sand, where they become sexually mature. In the wild, bobbit worms can live anywhere from 3-5 years, though some biologists believe they may have a longer lifespan of 10-15 years.

Conservation status: E. aphroditois has not been evaluated by the IUCN. However, populations in coral reefs are threatened by habitat decline.

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

Photos

Richard Zerpe

Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel

Chutinun Mora

[amnhnyc]

Make way for the granulated sea star (Choriaster granulatus)! Growing to about 10 in (25 cm) in size, it's also known as the “doughboy starfish” for its portly look. This species hangs out around reef habitats in shallow Indo-Pacific waters. On its menu are coral and other small invertebrates—it sometimes even scavenges dead animals.

Photo: Sara Simmonds, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

[bestanimal]

Round 1 - Phylum Cnidaria

(Sources - 1, 2, 3, 4)

Cnidaria is a phylum of aquatic animals which includes the Anthozoans (sea anemones, corals, sea pens), the Scyphozoans ( true jellies), the Cubozoans (box jellies), the Hydrozoans (a diverse group ranging from Hydras to the colonial Portuguese Man O’ War), the Staurozoans (eight-tentacled cnidarians that cling to seaweeds and rocks), and the parasitic Myxozoans and Polypodiozoans.

Cnidarians are identified by a decentralized nervous system distributed throughout a gelatinous body, and specialized explosive stinging cells, called cnidocytes, on ejectable flagella (“tentacles”) which are used to envenomate prey ranging from plankton to animals several times larger than themselves. Their bodies consist of a jelly-like substance called mesoglea sandwiched between two thin cell layers. Cnidarians are some of the only animals that can reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Many species of Cnidarian are actually groups of polyps, called zooids, clustered together to form one collonial organism. Corals, the Man O’ War, and Siphonophores are examples of this.

Propaganda below the cut:

Corals support 25% of all ocean life

Reefs are formed when coral polyps group together and produce a skeleton of calcium carbonate at their bases. They do this to form a platform that allows them to better stick together.

In a relationship that dates back to the Triassic, the symbiotic algae that live within corals gives them their colors, as well as creates nutrients for both organisms

Corals are facing a mass extinction due to climate change

While anemones are mainly sessile, usually staying in one place for weeks to months at a time, they can creep along on their bases at a speed too slow to be seen with the naked eye. However, some species can move or “swim” quickly in a pinch. Gonactinia can crawl like an inchworm, Paranthus rapiformis can curl into a ball and roll around, and Stomphia coccinea can swim by flexing its column. They just look really silly doing so.

Anemones are predators, stinging prey and pulling it into their mouth with their tentacles. They can eat animals as large as crabs, mollusks, and even small fish. However, some fish and invertebrates have a symbiotic relationship with anemones. Immune to the anemone’s venom, these animals utilize it as shelter while keeping it clean and providing it with nutrients from their feces. Some hermit crabs even carry anemones on their shells, providing the anemone with quick transport to new areas in return for protection.

Box Jellies have simple eyes, are capable of pursuing and reacting to prey behavior, and some species are some of the most deadly animals in the world.

The Lion’s Mane Jelly (Cyanea capillata) is one of the largest jellyfish, with the largest recorded specimen having a bell width of 210 cm (7 ft) and tentacles around 36.6 m (120 ft) long.

The Lion’s Mane Jelly is also the favorite food of Leatherback Sea Turtles.

A rise in jellyfish population can signify ecosystem collapse

The Giant Siphonophore (Praya dubia) is a collonial Hydrozoan that can get up to 50 m (160 ft) long, rivaling the Blue Whale in length.

Some Cnidarians can “hear” via vibrations, and some can even produce sounds to communicate

Many Cnidarians are bioluminescent

[noaasanctuaries]

BREAKING NEWS

NOAA considers sanctuary in waters around Pacific Remote Islands

Today, NOAA announced it is starting the process to potentially designate a new national marine sanctuary in the Pacific Remote Islands area under the Biden-Harris Administration. The proposed area in the central Pacific Ocean includes marine areas within the existing Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, as well as currently unprotected submerged lands and waters, an area totaling about 770,000 square miles. 

A sanctuary designation would help conserve the atolls, shoals, seamounts, banks and reefs surrounding the Pacific Remote Islands. This area is home to some of the most diverse and remarkable tropical marine ecosystems on the planet, and provides a haven for a host of wildlife, including corals, sharks, fish, marine mammals, seabirds and invertebrates.

NOAA invites the public to comment on the proposed sanctuary designation through June 2, 2023.

[colorsoutofearth]

Sea stars of British Columbia by David Hall

[dr-otter]

Y'all, the Florida reefs are nearly 100% bleached or dead right now. Water temperatures are hitting the mid to upper 90s, as high as 101F in Miami. This is bad. We are seeing a combination of El Nino conditions on top of warming ocean surface temperatures due to climate change creating a marine heat wave.

Nurseries still have live coral, and deeper water reefs (where the water is cooler and UV is less) are in better shape. Many people are working hard to preserve these reefs, but this is bailing water in a sinking boat. We NEED to reduce carbon emissions; this is what stops the boat from sinking. It is NOT too late to save corals and support recovery but it is time to stop screwing around and do it.