Wednesday, December 19

Banded Coral Shrimp - a little and beautiful Sea Shrimp

Banded Coral Shrimp - a little & beautiful sea Shrimp



The Banded Coral Shrimp is a common sight on nearly every Indo-Pacific ocean reef.  Scientific name of this little and beautiful shrimp is “Stenopus hispidus”. It is also known as a Coral Banded Shrimp, Banded Boxer Shrimp, Banded Prawn, Barber-Pole Shrimp, Carid Shrimps, Cleaner Shrimp, Boxer Shrimps, Boxing Shrimp, Coral Banded Boxing Shrimp, Banded Coral Shrimp, Red banded Coral Shrimp or Cleaner Shrimp, it often feeds on the parasites that cooperative fish or eels allow it to pick off their bodies.

A pair of Banded Coral Shrimp
A pair of Banded Coral Shrimp
1 to 2 in. (2 to 5 cm) in size and 3-130 ft. (1-40 m) in depth Stenopus hispidus is a shrimp-like decapod crustacean, belonging to the infraorder Stenopodidea. Although it looks like a shrimp, it is not a true shrimp.  It is a few centimetres long and has red bands around its body, and long, white antennae. The body is covered with short defensive spines. Like other decapods they can use the tail to escape backwards rapidly (the caridoid escape reaction).

A beautiful Banded Coral Shrimp
A beautiful Banded Coral Shrimp
In the wild, the Banded Coral Shrimp is a scavenger. In the home aquarium, it will accept most flaked and frozen foods. While molting, this little Shrimp often hide from sight for 1-2 days in the rocks of the reef. The Banded Coral Shrimp can be found in Caribbean, Bahamas, Florida, Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Indo-Pacific, Hawaii.


Tuesday, December 18

Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish - The most fascinating fish in to the sea waters


The most fascinating fish in to the sea waters
The emperor angelfish, Pomacanthus imperator, is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated species. The Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator) is also known as Imperial Angelfish and Imperator Angelfish. Juveniles are most fascinating fish in to the sea waters. The name is also commonly shortened to Emperor Angel / Imperial Angel / Imperator Angel in everyday speech. 

Adult Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish
Adult Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish
They are dark blue with electric blue and white rings; adults have yellow and blue stripes, with black around the eyes. It takes about 24 to 30 months for an emperor angelfish to acquire its adult coloring. They grow to 40 cm (15.75 in) in length. Juvenile to adult transition may not fully occur in an aquarium.

Beautiful Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish
Juvenile Emporer Angel Fish
The Emperor Angelfish lives in the Indo-Pacific. Its range stretches from East Africa and the Red Sea to Hawaii, the Equatorial Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. Northwards, the range proceeds up to southern Japan and the Ogasawara Islands. Southwards, you can find this species down to Australia's Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia and the Austral Islands of French Polynesia. Emperor Angelfish has not been encountered in the waters around Easter Island, Rapa Island or the Marquesan Islands.


Monday, December 17

Mandarin - The most beautiful fish under blue water



Beautiful Mandarin fish
The Mandarin fish or Mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade. Some of Other common names include Mandarin goby, Green mandarin, striped mandarin fish, striped dragonet, Green dragonet and sometimes Psychedelic mandarin fish etc. This beautiful little fish is native to the Pacific, ranging approximately from the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. The fish was first described in 1927 as Callionymus splendidus by Albert William Herre (an American ichthyologist working in the Philippines). It was later placed in genus Synchiropus

Red Mandarin fishThe Mandarin fish is generally found at depths of 1-20 m, preferring sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs. They tend to sleep on the sand during the night, and may turn very pale and even become half-submerged. This beautiful fish is very peaceful, but can be territorial toward similar species. Pairs have been known to breed in captivity. They are very active and enjoyable to watch. Some are more reclusive than others.

Thursday, December 13

The most beautiful jellyfish

One of the most beautiful Jellyfish


Jellyfish are in the animal group of Cnidaria and among the most beautiful and unusual creatures of water life. The name is especially given to the class Scyphozoa, but also to the classes Hydrozoa and Cubozoa. Listed below are the few most beautiful jellyfish that, you can find in the worlds oceans.

Big Red Jellyfish
Big Red Jellyfish
Big Red Jellyfish: Tiburonia granrojo or Big Red Jellyfish is one of the largest sea jellies and unusual in a number of ways. They live at ocean depths of 600 to 1,500 meters (2,000 to 4,900 ft) and have been found across the Pacific Ocean in the Sea of Cortez, Monterey Bay, Hawaii and Japan. They can grow up to 75 centimeters (30 inch) in diameter, according to the California Academy of Sciences, and have thick fleshy oral arms in place of the long tentacles found in most jellies. This massive jelly is particularly unusual because it lacks tentacles, which most jellies use to catch their food. Instead, Big Red has between four and seven thick, wrinkled arms.

Transparent sea jelly
Transparent sea jelly
Transparent sea jelly (Aglantha digitale): Transparent sea jelly or Aglantha digitale is the most common surface-dwelling jellyfish in Arctic and sub-arctic waters. It is clear translucent, bell taller than breath, with a small conical apical projection; 80 marginal tentacles generally destroyed during capture; 8 radial canals, 8 statocysts; long gastric peduncle with 4 small simple lips; 8 white, sausage shaped gonads often obvious in larger individuals. You can see it in Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Canada Basin, Canadian part of the Arctic Ocean, European waters (ERMS scope), Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Irish Exclusive economic Zone, Mediterranean Sea, North East Atlantic, North Pacific, St. Lawrence Estuary, Storfjordrenna, Storfjords and United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone

Flower Hat Jelly
Flower Hat Jelly
Flower Hat Jelly: This jellyfish is a rare species and is generally small in size with a width of just about six inches. It is also known as Olindias Formosa and is very striking with shades of purple and orange colours. It has appearance of having a neon pink flower hat on its head. This is because its tentacles, when not in use, coil up and sticks to the rim. It has a painful sting but non-lethal to humans. It mainly feeds on small fish capturing its prey by injecting venom from its stinging cells its tentacles. It inhabits Brazil, Argentina and Japanese waters.

Deep Red Jellyfish
Deep Red Jellyfish
Deep-Red Jellyfish (Crossota norvegica): Deep-Red Jellyfish or Crossota norvegica is deepwater polar hydromedusae. All about it: deep-red color, 10-14 radial canals, as opposed to eight radial canals common to other species of Crossota, About 275 tenacles, Stomach bottle shaped, with irregular longitudinal ridges and invaginations, 5-7 upturned lips, without gastric preducles, Gonads on radial canals near base of stomach

Red Jellyfish
Red Jellyfish
Red Jellyfish: Sea jellies such as Red Jellyfish in the genus Benthocodon are commonly seen on or near the seafloor in the Monterey Canyon off central California, USA. Some jellies in this genus feed on animals that live in seafloor sediment.