Can anyone ID this little guy?
I’m working up a post about these bizarre animals and I’ll post it shortly after someone IDs it.
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Correct ID by Christopher Taylor.
Answer: Ostracod, Alacia valdiviae (highlight)
Photo from Russ Hopcroft.
must be a ostracod, right? the very spiny appendage threw me off a bit, but i’m guessing it’s the maxilliped?
Seconding that it’s an ostracod. I would guess Subclass Podocopa.
Seed shrimp or ostracod would be my first guess…but you are looking for a more precise ID, no doubt…
Alacia valdiviae – I managed to find the same photo elsewhere (http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/viewSlideshow.do?clid=10272&aid=14448&mainid=27625&p=27602&n=27596). Bloody impressive photo.
Yeah, that’s it Christopher. I wanted to use a photo that wasn’t easily available online, but there weren’t any high quality ones.
Look for an ostracod post soon.
I’m not surprised. They can’t be very easy photography subjects considering how bloody tiny they are and that they never stop moving.