Species Gallery - Invertebrate
SIZE: max. 1.75 in.
Candy Stripe Shrimp
Lebbeus grandimanusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Brilliant yellow, blue and red bands.
DESCRIPTION:
Small transparent body. Often seen under anemone tentacles.
SIZE: max. 5.5 in.
Coonstripe Shrimp
Pandalus danae/P. gurneyiDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Legs and antennae have obvious dark bands.
DESCRIPTION:
Large translucent brown to green body with dark brown, red or black markings. Sometimes has thin blue lines or fine white spots. The most common shrimp seen by Pacific Northwest divers.
SIZE: max. 10 in. carapace width
Dungeness Crab
Cancer magisterDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Smooth tan-colored carapace, or outer skeleton. Widest point of carapace is at last (10th) tooth.
DESCRIPTION:
10 small, pointy “teeth” on either side of carapace. Claws are yellow, white-tipped and serrated. Similar sp. Slender Cancer Crab has a white margin on its carapace and purple legs.
SIZE: max. 4.25 in. in diameter and 3 in. in height
Giant Barnacle
Balanus nubilusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Rough, large whitish body plates that lack striations or grooves.
DESCRIPTION:
Very large, unstalked barnacle with a large aperture or opening. Often found in clusters.
SIZE: max. 3.1 in. carapace width
Green Crab
Carcinus maenasDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Multicolored or mottled dark green to orange carapace.
DESCRIPTION:
5 large teeth behind each eye. Fifth pair of legs is slightly flattened. Non-native species. Found in upper intertidal, not likely to be seen by divers.
SIZE: max. 3.5 in. carapace width
Northern Kelp Crab
Pugettia productaDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Tips of claws do not have white or red tips.
DESCRIPTION:
Relatively smooth brown to reddish, shield-shaped carapace, long thin pincers. Walking legs end in sharp points.
SIZE: max. 8 in. carapace width
Red Rock Crab
Cancer productusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Brick red fan-shaped carapace with black-tipped pincers and rounded teeth. Carapace widest at 2nd to last tooth.
DESCRIPTION:
9 rounded “teeth” on either side of carapace. (Similar sp. Dungeness crab has 10.) Teeth are also less pointy than those of the Dungeness crab.
SIZE: max. 10 in.
Spot Prawn
Pandalus platycerosDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: White spots on the first and fifth body segment abdomen.
DESCRIPTION:
Large light to dark translucent orange body. Carapace has white stripes down its entire length.
SIZE: colony to 2.5 in. high and 8.5 in. across
Lacy Bryozoan
Phidolopora labiataDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: White, pink to orange lace-like colonies.
DESCRIPTION:
Delicate, stiff, and brittle lattice formation. On surveys, count each separate colony as an individual.
SIZE: max. 10 in. high and 8 in. in diameter
Fish-eating Anemone
Urticina piscivoraDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Smooth red column without spots (similar sp. white-spotted anemone).
DESCRIPTION:
Short, slender, white tentacles can be tipped with red or pink. Tall, smooth, maroon or red column.
SIZE: M. giganteum max. 3 ft. high, M. senile max. 4 in. high
Plumose Anemone
Metridium senile/Metridium farcimenDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Thin, fluffy tentacles.
DESCRIPTION:
Large, aggregating, white, orange, tan, or brown anemone. M. giganteum has up to 200 translucent tentacles. It is larger than M. senile. M. senile has fewer than 100 short tentacles. Both are monitored together in survey program.
SIZE: max. 3/4 in.
Strawberry Anemone
Corynactis californicaDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Club shaped knobs at the end of each tentacle.
DESCRIPTION:
White to pink, red, orange or lavender coloration. Colonies can be up to 20 m (65 ft) wide. Attach to rocks in high current areas.
SIZE: max. 14 in. high
Tube-dwelling Anemone
Pachycerianthus fimbriatusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Long, slender outer tentacles surround short inner tentacles, always found in soft sediment.
DESCRIPTION:
Two sets of banded tentacles are white, brown, black or orange. The anemone secretes a tube that can extend 1m (3ft) in the mud. Favorite food item of the giant nudibranch.
SIZE: max. 6 in. height/diameter
White-spotted Anemone
Urticina lofotensisDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Short, scarlet column covered in vertical rows of tiny white spots.
DESCRIPTION:
Long yellow tentacles have pink-red tips. Tentacles appear banded with pink and yellow coloration.
SIZE: Bell is scalloped into 8 pairs of lobes. Short marginal tentacles.
Moon Jelly
Aurelia aurita/labiataDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: 4 horseshoe-shaped gonads in a gray to blue disc-shaped bell.
DESCRIPTION:
Bell is scalloped into 8 pairs of lobes. Short marginal tentacles.
SIZE: max. 9 ft. in diameter
Sea Blubber
Cyanea capillataDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Reddish-orange to purplish-brown ruffled oral arms in the center of the bell. (similar sp. Fried egg jellyfish has a white to yellow bell, oral arms and tentacles.)
DESCRIPTION:
Its transparent bell, usually pink or purple, ends in a scalloped rim. Pale white tentacles extend up to 9 m (30 ft). Also commonly known as Lion’s Mane Jellyfish.
SIZE: max. 1/2 in. in height/diameter
Orange Cup Coral
Balanophyllia elegansDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Orange cup with anemone-like animal inside.
DESCRIPTION:
Hard limestone cup. Anemone-like creature has nearly-transparent tentacles with obvious nodules containing nematocysts.
SIZE: max. 18.5 in. high and 4 in. wide
Orange Sea Pen
Ptilosarcus gurneyiDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Orange fleshy stalk and branches with many polyps.
DESCRIPTION:
Feathery branches make up the top half of the Sea Pen. The bottom half is buried in the sand. The sea pen can retreat completely into the sand.
SIZE: Colonies up to 3 in. high and 3 ft. wide or more.
Pink Hydrocoral
Stylaster verrilli/S. venustusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Upright branching colonies. (similar sp. Encrusting hydrocoral and coralline algae do not branch.)
DESCRIPTION:
Pink to orange coloration. Found in areas of high current attached to rocks.
SIZE: max. 20 in.
California Sea Cucumber
Parastichopus californicusDISTINCTIVE FEATURES: Large and small fleshy papillae (pointy projections).
DESCRIPTION:
Mottled brown-red body. Light cream underside. Circle of 20 bushy feeding tentacles at one end.