‘The Arrow Crab’ Stenorhynchus seticornis or ‘Arrow Crab’ guarding a cave entrance
Music, Video, and Aquarium
2010 Morphologic Studios
Take a moment to look into the compound eyes of the arrow crab (Stenorhynchus seticornis)… If NASA is looking for a robot capable of navigating rocky planetary terrain, the arrow crab would be a perfect organism to model it after. In the video we look down the sharp, pointed rostrum (’nose’) of an arrow crab as it appears bobbing in space. In reality, its spindly, spider-like legs are holding it anchored like a sentinel, guarding the opening of a small cave.
Arrow crabs are an abundant species on Floridian reefs, living perched near cracks and crevices in coral heads where they can retreat if threatened. Their pointed rostrum, triangular body, and protruding eyes gives this crab the appearance of a predatory lizard fish that can dash away at a moment’s notice. Instead, the arrow crab is rather slow moving, relying on the fact that the paucity of meat inside the spiny, twig-like exoskeleton of the arrow crab makes it unappetizing to a would-be-predator. This unique anatomical configuration likely explains their abundance in the wild.
Like other decapod crustaceans, the arrow crab has 10 legs (8 walking legs, and 2 pincers or ‘chelipeds’ properly). However, if you look carefully, you’ll notice that this particular crab is missing the last leg on the right side of its body. Fortunately, crustaceans are capable of regrowing amputated legs. Only a few hours after it was filmed, this arrow crab molted, and as if by magic, regenerated its tenth limb.
Above is a teaser we created for the ‘Discipline EP’, the new release from Miami electronic musician Panic Bomber. The ‘Discipline EP’ arrives March 16, 2010 via Toronto’s YYZ Records and this video will be available for your downloading pleasure on Vimeo until Sunday, March 7. Catch Panic Bomber live in Toronto this coming weekend and at the Ultra Music Festival Saturday, March 27.
The night of Saturday, February 20 our film ‘Involution’ was displayed at the Museum of Contemporary Art – North Miami as part of the ‘Bohemian Bash’. The annual fund raising event was curated by artists Kevin Arrow, Bhakti Baxter, Beatriz Monteavaro, and Wendy Wischer. ‘Involution’ depicts a brillantly-colored Epicystis crucifer sea anemone ingesting and by inverse film treatment, regurgitating a piece of fish on an endless loop.
‘The Fire Coral’ Pt. 1
A feeding Balanus sp. barnacle encrusted by Millepora alcicornis
Music, Video, and Aquarium
2010 Morphologic Studios
Millepora alcicornis, or fire coral, is not actually a true coral, but a hydrocoral. Hydrocorals are colonies of hydroids that secrete a shared limestone skeleton, making them more closely related to jellyfish than true corals. Here in Florida, fire coral is extremely abundant on our reefs where they serve as the underwater equivalent of a sunburn to unsuspecting divers. Skin contact with fire coral will result in immediate burning pain, followed by an itchy welt that can last for several days.
Fire coral is frequently found encrusting over neighboring corals, starting from the bottom and slowly killing the coral until the colony is completely encased in living limestone. Because fire coral contains symbiotic zooxanthellae (like most tropical stony corals), they are capable of fast growth rates that help build a coral reef. Upon close inspection of fire coral, the stinging polyps can be seen as needle-like projections. At even closer magnification, grape-like bunches of stinging nematocysts can been seen protruding along the polyps’ length. These polyps are retractable, and when an edible food particle is captured, it can be drawn back towards one of the many mouths that dot the surface of the colony. In the video we see a colony of barnacle shells (Balanus sp.) that have been encrusted by fire coral. Unlike the corals though, the barnacle can continue to live beneath the veneer of fire coral.
Barnacles are most commonly found living in the inter-tidal zone where they live periodic lifestyles of low tide rest and high tide activity. When immersed in water, the barnacle feeds with legs specialized for feeding called cirri. The cirri are covered with comb-like filaments that rake the water for passing plankton. If a particle is caught in the cirri, it is drawn back to the animal’s mouth and eaten. When barnacle larvae settle out of the floating plankton themselves, they permanently affix themselves to a life-long location. Barnacles have a special ‘cement gland’ under their bodies that produces an impressive proteinaceous adhesive that holds the animal firmly, in spite of the heaviest of waves. A series of calcareous plates (commonly six) form a turret that protects their soft bodily tissues from predators. Despite their simple appearance, barnacles are in fact crustaceans, like shrimp, crabs, and lobsters.
‘The Sun Coral’
The feeding of a Tubastrea coccinea coral cluster
Music, Video, and Aquarium
2010 Morphologic Studios
This week’s video features a colony of Tubastrea coccinea coral polyp clones feeding on passing zooplankton. The film is sped up 10 times to emphasize the feeding abilities and coordination between the sticky tentacles and the polyps’ mouths.
Tubastrea coccinea or ‘Sun Corals’, have an unusual background story, being the only invasive stony coral to become established in the Caribbean basin. Native to the tropical Indo-Pacific Oceans, they were first noted living on ships’ hulls in Puerto Rico and Curacao (Southern Caribbean) in the mid 1940’s. Over the ensuing decades, they eventually spread elsewhere throughout the entire Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico on the prevailing water currents. It is believed that these sun corals may have originally entered our region as larval stow-aways in the ballast water of intercontinental ships that passed through the Panama Canal.
‘Lima scabra’
The tentacles and mantle of a Lima scabra file clam filter feeding
Music, Video, and Aquarium
2010 Morphologic Studios
Lima scabra is a common resident on Floridian and Caribbean reefs where it can be found wedged in crevices, with only its long tentacles extending out into the water column. Usually these tentacles are crimson red (as seen in the specimen above), although they are occasionally white in color. Lima scabra can grow to about 3.5 (9cm) inches long.
Like most bivalves, Lima scabra is a filter feeder. It siphons water in through its fleshy mantle (seen in the video), and strains any edible particulate matter before pumping the water back it out. It holds itself semi-permanently in place through the use of ‘byssus threads’. The threads are formed by a viscous protein secretion that cures instantly upon contact with seawater. These byssus threads have captured the attention of bio-engineers who seek to replicate their strong adhesive properties for industrial applications. However, if the clam comes under attack from a predator, it is capable of detaching and swimming away. They can move surprisingly quick; swimming in fast, jerky movements, propelled by the repeated snapping-together of its shell.
‘Purple Forest’
Decorator Crab (Microphrys bicornuta) on Asparagopsis taxiformis algae
Music, Video, and Aquarium
2010 Morphologic Studios
This week’s video features an aquascape comprised of the beautiful purple macro algae Asparagopsis taxiformis. However, if you pay close attention to the left 1/3 of the screen, you’ll notice something… moving with claws… Nestled amongst the algae is a perfectly camouflaged decorator crab (Microphrys bicornuta). Keep paying attention… at 26 seconds into the clip you’ll notice a tiny isopod crustacean float by in the current and descend helicopter-style right onto the crab’s back. The unsuspecting isopod has no idea that it has landed upon an algae covered beast. Furthermore, it appears that the crab is not aware of the unexpected visitor until the isopod begins to explore its decorated exoskeleton. 50 seconds into the clip the isopod meets its fate with a few swift snatches of the crab’s claws. Without missing a beat, the crab continues scavenging amongst the rocks and algae. And life on the reef goes on…
Decorator crabs are amazing creatures in that they pick up pieces of their surrounding habitat and place them on their carapace (back, exoskeleton) in order to blend into their surroundings. Decorator crabs that live amongst sponges decorate with sponges, those that live amongst zoanthids use zoanthids, and so on. This instinctual logic is truly remarkable. The crab in the video has attached small pieces of the Asparagopsis upon itself, and as a result is all but indistinguishable from its surroundings.
