The Seven-eleven Crab (Carpilius maculatus), is easier to identify than it is to see. That’s because it’s mostly active at night. This one was probably on its way to its daytime resting spot when I saw it. It gets its name from the prominent red spots on its shell, two behind each eye and three on the back, with the other four generally less visible along the rear, though two of those are clear in this photo.
Posted for Becky’s Squares: Seven. See more responses here.
Yesterday, in the water, I saw these three Spotted Eagle Rays heading my way. They were on the smaller side, but all in excellent condition, except for the slightly larger one that had lost much of its tail. The three made several languid loops around my wife and I before they finally eased away into shallower water.
The second photo gives a good view of the ray’s spiracles. They have one on each side, just above and behind the eye. These openings allow them to pass water through to the gills, even when they are digging for prey and churning up a lot of sand.
I’m not entirely confident that this is a Horn-eyed Ghost Crab, but that’s what my usual ID source says. On the plus side, it’s clearly bigger than a Pallid Ghost Crab. But Horn-eyed Ghost Crabs are generally not seen during the day, though this was taken in the early morning. They also have points on their eye stalks, though I’ve seen photos without. Any input on identity would be appreciated.
A Giant Porcupinefish waits patiently while a Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse gets to work. Cleaner wrasses remove dead tissue, parasites and mucus from fish of all sizes that visit their cleaning stations. Watch out for those spines!
On a recent swim, I saw this Peppered Moray Eel zipping towards me in fairly shallow water. My response was to start taking photos. The eel’s response was to stop dead, raise its head up, and give me a decidedly unimpressed look.
We held our positions for a short while and then I edged off to one side and the eel did the same, before deciding enough was enough and scooting to sanctuary under a large rock.
A Stocky Hawkfish waits in a crack with a Rock-Boring Urchin, as shifting light plays across the water.
During the day, Yellowfin Goatfishes hang in the water in schools, usually in the same area each day. These days, the schools in the area I took this photo, are far smaller than they were just a few years ago.
An A’ama crab hangs on to a boat ramp in Kawaihae Harbor.
Graham's Island 