Lembeh is an island off the north coast of Sulawesi near the city of Bitung. The25 km long, 2 km wide island is separated from the mainland of Sulawesi by the Lembeh Strait. The strait has a very high density of rare and unusual marine life, in particular frogfish, rare species of octopus, seahorses, and nudibranchs. We stayed at Lembeh Resort. We were part of a macro underwater photography workshop sponsored by Backscatter.
Although we went to Lembeh to photograph invertebrates, Paul could not resist the mandarinfish, Synchiropus splendidus.
Now for the invertebrates:
Cephalopods:
Cuttlefish:
Broadclub cuttlefish, Sepia latimanus
Sepia sp.
Flamboyant cuttlefish, Metasepia pfefferi
Crinoid cuttlefish, Sepia sp.
Needle cuttlefish, Sepia aculeata
Golden cuttlefish, Sepia esculenta
Dwarf cuttlefish, Sepia bandensis
Squids:
Berry's bobtail squid, Euprymma berryi
Octopuses:
Coconut octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus
Mimic octopus, Thaumoctopus mimicus
Wunderpus, Wunderpus photogenicus
The mimic and wunderpus octopuses are very similar. You can distinguish them because the mimic octopus has a white line under its arms which the wunderpus lacks.
Wolf's pygmy octopus, Octopus wolfi
Hairy octopus, Octopus sp.
Flatworms:
Blood-spotted flatworm, Euryleptid sp. This animal may actually be a ctenophore (comb jelly), Coeloplana astericola
Pseudobiceros gloriosus
Euryleptid 5
Lizard Island flatworm, Phrikoceros (Tytthosoceras) lizardensis
Pseudoceros sp. 86
Crustaceans:
Crabs:
Orangutan crab, Oncinopus sp.
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Marivene's spider crab, Lareillopsis mariveneae
Jellyfish carry crab, Ethusa sp.
Arrowhead crab, Huenia heraldica
Spotted porcelain crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus
Four-lobed porcelain crab, Lissoporcellana quadrilobata
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Soft coral porcelain crab, Lissoporcellana nakasonei
Soft coral crab, Hoplophrys oatesii
Zebra urchin crab, Zebrida adamsii
Sea cucumber swimming crab, Lissocarcinus orbicularis
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Purple-legged swimming crab, Charybdis helleri
Blue swimming crab, Portunus pelagicus
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Long-eyed box crab, Calappa hepatica
Blunt decorator crab, Camposcia retusa
Hermit crabs:
Blue-fingered coral hermit crab, Panguritta sp.
Beautiful hermit crab, Calcinus pulcher
Dark knee hermit crab, Dardanus lagopodes
Scutella hermit crab, Dardanus scutellatus
Anemone hermit crab, Dardanus pedunculatus
Lobsters:
Painted spiny lobster, Panulirus versicolor
Mantis shrimps:
Peacock mantis, Odontodactylus scyllarus
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Pink-eared mantis, Odontodactylus latirostris
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Tiger mantis, Lysiosquilla maculata
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Wicked mantis, Haptosquilla nefandia
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Skeleton shrimps:
Caprella sp.
Golden-lined skeleton shrimp, Protella sp.
Shrimps:
Long nose rock (Donald Duck) shrimp, Leander plumosus
Brown grass shrimp, Leander tenuicornis
Ocellated tozeuma shrimp, Tozeuma lancealatum
Banded tozeuma shrimp, Tozeuma armatum
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Rounded sea star shrimp, Zenopontonia noverca
Emperor shrimp, Periclimenes imperator
Magnificent anemone shrimp, Ancylomenes magnificus
Sarasvati anemone shrimp, Periclimenes srarsvati
Egg shell shrimp, Hamopontonia corallicola
Peacock-tail aneomone shrimp, Periclimenes brevicarpalis
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Graceful anemone shrimp, Ancylomenes venustus
Orange-spotted shrimp, Ancylomenes luteomaculatus
Specious anemone shrimp, Ancylomenes speciousus
Spiny tiger shrimp, Phyllognatha ceratophthalmus
Banded coral shrimp, Stenopus hispidus
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Anker's whip coral shrimp, Pontonides ankeri
Zanzibar whip coral shrimp, Dasycaris zanzibarica
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Dragon shrimp, Miropandalus hardingi
Squat shrimp, Thor amboinensis
Bruce's hinge-beak shrimp, Rhynchocinetes brucei
Reticulated hinge-beak shrimp, Cinetorhynchus reticulatus
Brook's urchin shrimp, Allopontonia brocki
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Algae (hairy) shrimp, Phycocaris simulans
Coleman shrimp, Periclimenes colemani
Tiger snapping shrimp, Alpheus bellulus
Fenner's snapping shrimp, Alpheus fenneri
Tiger snapping shrimp, Alpheus bellulus
Squat lobsters:
Baba's crinoid squat lobster, Allogalathea babai
Tanegashima squat lobster, Galathea tanegashimae
Hairy squat lobster, Lauriea siagiani
Nudibranchs:
Redline flabellina (Purple aeolid), Flabellina rubrolineata
Desirable flabellina, Flabellina (Coryphellina) exoptata
Flabellina bilas
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Phestilla sp.
Black-gill phestilla, Phestilla melanobranchia
Jakobsen's phyllodesmium, Phyllodesmium jakobsenae
Rudman's phyllodesmium, Phyllodesmium rudmani
Grape doto, Doto ussi
Darvell's trapania, Trapania darvelli
Kuro sapsucking slug (Leaf sheep), Costasiella kuroshimae
Ornate supsucking slug, Elysia ornata
Orange-edged sapsucking slug (Lined thuridilla), Thuridilla lineolata
White-pimple thuridilla, Thuridilla albopustulosa
Yellow-spotted sapsucking slug, Thuridilla flavomaculata
Hypselodoris sp. 9
West wind hypselodoris, Hypselodoris zephyra
Gold and purple chromodoris, Chromodoris aureopurpurea
Goniobranchus rufomaculatus
juvenile Spanish dancer, Hexabranchus sanguineus
Reticulated chromodoris, Chromodoris reticulata
Chromodoris tinctoria
Spotted goniobranchus, Goniobranchus (Chromodoris) reticulatus
White-spotted chromodoris, Chromodoris albopunctata
Bus-stop (Lumpy) hintuanensis, Goniobranchus hintuanensis
Geometric chromodoris, Chromodoris geometrica
Confetti hypselodoris, Hypselodoris confetti
Kunie's goniobranchus, Goniobranchus (Chromodoris) kunei
Tryon's hypselodoris, Hypselodoris (Risbecia) tryoni
Girdled glossodoris, Glossodoris cincta
Funeral jorunna (mourning sea slug), Jorunna funebris
Precious chromodoris, Chromodoris preciosa
Brown-margin glossodoris, Glossodoris rufomarginata
White-mantle glossodoris, Glossodoris pallida
Dark-margin glossodoris, Glossodoris atromarginta
Mexichromis katalexis
Ornamental cadlinella, Cadlinella ornatissima
Carlson's halgreda, Halgreda carlsoni
Reticulated trapania, Trapania reticulata
Gardiner's banana nudibranch, Aegires gardineri
Gabriela's tambja, Tambja gabrielae
Neon-mark tambja, Tambja sp.
Crested nembrotha, Nembrotha cristata
Kubaryana's nembrotha, Nembrotha kubaryana
Orange-spotted nembrotha, Nembrotha sp.
Bullock's hypselodoris, Hypselodoris (Chromodoris),bullocki
Robe hem hypselodoris, Hypselodoris apolegma
Anne's phyllidiopsis, Phyllidiopsis annae
Willan's chromodoris, Chromodoris willani
Loch's chromodoris, Chromodoris lochi
Elisabeth's chromodoris, Chromodoris elisabethina
Anna's chromodoris, Chromodoris annae
Fish net hypseloris, Hypseloris iacula
Emma's hypselodoris, Hypselodoris emma
Beautiful hypselodoris, Hypselodoris maridalus
Lined nembrotha, Nembrotha lineolata
Chamberlain's nembrotha, Nembrotha chamberlaini
Pimpled (Pustulose) phyllidiella, Phyllidiella pustulosa
Cooraburra phyllidiella, Phyllidiella cooraburrama
Sky-blue phyllidia, Phyllidia coelestis
Ocellated phyllidia (Eye-spot sea slug), Phyllidia ocellata
Bluish-foot Armina, Armina sp.
Blue dragon, Pteraeolidia ianthina
Theacacera Pikachu, Thecacera sp.
Black-tipped thecacera, Thecacera sp.
Painted thecacera, Thecacera picta
Spotted (strawberry) dendrodoris, Dendrodoris guttata
Headband headshield slug, Chelidonura (Mariaglaja) inornata
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Last modified 9 December 2024