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*Sigh* Yet Another Critter


flyinhifi

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Found this little guy stuck in the surface skimmer when I got home tonight. Couldn't find an exact match to anything in the sticky, the little legs in the back keep throwing me off.

 

whatami.jpg

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Looks like a male sphaeromatid isopod.

image001.jpg

A great article by Dr. Shimek: link

 

Funny...I just got through reading that article. It does have lots of great info. According to them they are harmless to reef aquarium inhabitants.

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I wouldnt put it back in my tank....If you keep it in there you might see it attatched to the side of one of your fish

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Malcom, your link isn't working for me, but I know the article you mean:

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-05/rs/index.php

 

 

Excerpt:

 

Reef Aquarium Isopods

 

untitled9fs.png

 

Figure 1. A composite diagram of the common reef aquarium species of free-living isopods, shown from above, without their legs. Sand skaters are not included. The relative sizes are correct, although many of the Munnids and Idoteids seen in tanks are smaller relative to the other types. The largest of these would be about 2 inches long, but smaller individuals of even the largest species are occasionally found. Identifying characteristics are indicated by the arrows. These are the shapes of the body segments in the Munnids, the size of the eyes and shape of the final segment in the Idoteids, the size and shape of the eyes in Cirolanids and Aegids, the two pairs of large and evident antennae in the Aegids, and the body shape and male tail appendages in the Sphaeromatids. Drawings modified from Brusca, 1980; and Kozloff, 1996.

__________________________________________________

 

 

I agree that the pod in question looks like a male sphaeromatid.

 

--Diane

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