DIVING SAFARI CRUSTACES

Crabs, shrimps, crustaceans of all kinds, Philippe Richard tracks them everywhere, and there come out images where the beauty of the colors dispute the star to the rarity of the species. He takes us on a safari, but no lions or rhinoceros, heading for a miniature world that demands all your attention.

 WHAT IS A CRUSTACEAN?

Crustaceans are animals whose body is covered with a more or less rigid exoskeleton, with areas that remain flexible and allow the articulation of the different parts. This "cuticle", which is generally wrongly called shell, necessitates the use of molts to ensure linear growth. They form a vast group of more than 50 species whose shapes are very diverse, ranging from barnacles to woodlice, including crabs and shrimps. Their size varies from a few millimeters for the planktonic forms to 000 meters wingspan for the Japanese giant crab. Most of the species are aquatic, and fortunately, because cockroaches do not fascinate me!

FEATURES OF SHOOTING

Most images must therefore be taken in macro, and sometimes even in super macro! For my part I use a 60mm lens, or a 105mm, sometimes with a magnifying lens x 10. The biggest difficulty is finding them and sometimes taking them at the bottom of a hole or in the middle of corals. But you should also know that most species only come out at night, and this is where we will have the most chance of seeing them. It is helpful not to scare them off to use a red modeling light that most of them will not see.

HOW TO SEE THEM?

Finding and seeing them is sometimes a miracle! First solution, wait for your guide to show them to you !!! It's efficient but the guides are not always on top and then you are not alone… and it is so much nicer to find them by yourself. At night, you can try to spot their eyes in the lights of your lamp. But the best method is to know the environment where they live: when you meet, for example, a whip coral, if you know that you can find shrimp or a crab xeno on it, all you have to do is look!

THE BEST SPOTS

There are regions of the world that are more or less rich in crustaceans. This is the case in particular of a place that I love a lot, which is located in Indonesia on Sulawasi, and which is called the Lembeh Strait. There is a lot of black sand because it is a volcanic region, and countless crabs and shrimps. But there is also Papua, the Philippines, all over Indonesia, and the whole of the Indian Ocean. But even in a favorable region, you then have to set off to discover the biotopes specific to certain species and where you are therefore more likely to find the coveted little animals ...

THEIR FAVORITES:

ON THE CORALS

Let's start with the bubble coral where a very specific species of shrimp is very often found.

And if you look closely, you'll also see little tapeworms that are often mistaken for orange spots on coral.

On the soft coral, in particular the red, one will find, but by searching well because they are difficult to locate, among others the candy crabs, but also of other species as well as transparent shrimps. On some branches of whip coral we can find small shrimps, often of the same color as their support, sometimes xeno crabs and often even both. Sometimes surprising discoveries of rare species are also made there, such as dragon shrimp.

IN THE ANEMONES AND THE WORMS

On the anemones you will find periclimenes shrimps and often, under the mantle or in a fold, a small porcelain crab like the one on the poster for the Paris aquarium, and sometimes even both at the same time! If you look carefully, you can also come across small Thor shrimp. Species of fir often also hide crabs and shrimps.

ON THE SEA AND THE SEA

Likewise, on large fire urchins, one can find, there and only there, the famous Coleman shrimp as well as a small crab with a very pointed shell, the zebra crab. By gently turning the cushion starfish, as well as on the big blue stars we find small emperor shrimp of the same color.

ON COMATULATIONS AND SPONGES

Comatulas, especially yellows and dark reds, can hide pistol shrimp of the same color and small spider crabs, but also other species like a small yellow crab or even super crab in its amazing costume! The very pretty purple and hairy spider crabs are only found in the folds of large orange sponges.

ON MORE MOBILE HOSTS

With luck, you can discover crustaceans on some nudibranchs and in particular on Spanish dancers. On some sea cucumbers, you can also find charming little crabs and tiny shrimp, emperor shrimp. There are also shrimps which live in symbiosis with gobis, they are found in the sand at the entrance of their hole. But beware of the holes in the sand: they can hide formidable mantis shrimp able for the giants to break the glass of your mask!

OR IN A MOUTH

When you see an open-mouthed moray, take a good look, as it is often a cleaning station and you may find shrimp at work. The same applies to groupers. And sometimes it's a surprise, we find a crustacean where we never expected to find one, hanging on a fish or between the eyes of a cuttlefish! Or in the mouth of a flamboyant, for a last trip.

THE KINGS OF CAMOUFLAGE

Crabs and shrimps, for some of them, are masters in the art of camouflage and if they don't budge you are very unlikely to see them. There are those who are naturally mimetic with the environment in which they live. And then there are those who disguise themselves to go unnoticed and who do it very well! And then there are those who believe they can get there, like this unfortunate green crab persuaded to be hidden under its seaweed!

NEWS FROM PHILIPPE RICHARD

You can find Philippe richard the 18 march for a conference at the Aquarium of Paris, which is also currently hosting, with the participation of Epson and Nikon, an exhibition of his photos. The photographer has also just published " Ocean's heart To the Editions du Passage, which he will present with the help of a slide show and will sign on this occasion.