small white scary crustacean- Please help me ID

Muze813

Muze813

New Member
Hello everyone,

I really hope someone can help identify what this little creature is. He is kind of creepy looking, and I really hope it's not an isopod. The animal is about 1/4" long. It is definitely motile, and I delegated the anterior and posterior ends by which way it was moving and also by the fact that it expelled detritus from what I believe to be the posterior. It seems to have two black eyes and tiny antennae (its head actually looks a bit like a cricket). Other end has three "prongs". Pictures are below. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

IMG_0208.jpg

IMG_0207.jpg

Anterior view:
IMG_0209.jpg
 
tnwillia

tnwillia

Well-Known Member
First time I've seen that. Did it crawl out of a rock or come in on something else. The search begins! Have fun.
 
P

PghFishNerd

Member
Lol almost looks like a weird tooth. Sorry that's all the input I have. Interesting little chap ya got there.

Could it be a little Cephalopod of some sort?
 
Muze813

Muze813

New Member
Thank you for the responses. Love the giant isopod link, Tnwillia. I certainly hope that is NOT what this little buggar turns into! haha I was wondering if it was some kind of isopod, but its tail is not flat. Are there any isopod species that have the three pronged tail? As far as it being a cephalopod, PghFishNerd, that would be awesome but I don't think it is. I'm pretty sure the little dude has an exoskeleton. It seemed very insect like.


It was crawling on a piece of live rock when I turned on the tank lights this A.M. I don't have much in the tank yet, it is only about 6 weeks old. My live rock was from one of the islands near Fiji (can't remember which one). I did buy some macro algae though, which I'm pretty sure came to my LFS from another hobbyist...so who knows what ocean the little thing could have originated from. I have noticed several different kinds of tiny shrimp -esque critters (not just copepods) running around on the rocks, but this one looked really odd to me.
 
LeslieH

LeslieH

Member
Yes, it's an isopod in the family Sphaeromatidae. That big 3-pronged tail means it's probably a male as the juveniles & females usually don't have them. Sphaeromatids are all thought to be harmless grazers.
 
Jewells

Jewells

Member
cute little bugger close up :/ I have some really similar but I can't see them that close to be sure, I saw one close to 1/2 inch long running around my new mushroom. Doesn't bother anything if it is the same thing. How the heck did you get a pic?
 
Muze813

Muze813

New Member
You guys are so right. It is an isopod...and now it makes sense that it did appear to be grazing on the rock. Thank you all so much for your input!
 
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