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An introduction to another creature of the anchialine ponds:
AMPHIPODS!
For a layman interested in a full range of things, I got very excited when a collector brought me a large number of tiny shrimp-like creatures from the ponds. Viewing them through the 5x loupe, they seemed to be like shrimp but without the forward carapace section. They also looked like the "lawn fleas" that are found in moist leaf litter that jump around like fleas. They belonged to the same phylum of "amphipoda" that includes both terrestrial (land) and aquatic marine and freshwater forms.
Amphipods were first identified in Australia and later in several Pacific Islands. They were first reported in the Western Hemisphere in 1918 and there are now over 7,000 described species. Most amphipods are scavengers. Marine forms are food for seabirds, fish, and marine animals including whales.
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These were photographed in the full sun in a plain ivory bowl about 4 inches in diameter. The amphipods are tiny, only about 1/8" long! |
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Shooting through the 5x loupe, these were the best focused of all of the close-up photos attempted. |
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A landscaped 2.5-gallon bowfront aquarium was available already neutralized and cycled and became home for the collection. |
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These were photographed through the 5x loupe on the gravel on the front of the tank floor. They were initially fed fish flake food. |
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The first time we fed, there was a huge reaction and amphipods swarmed over the food! We had put all of those collected into a single tank and the air powered biological under gravel filter was running at full speed to try to keep up with the waste being produced by the large number! |
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An enlarged cropped section of the above photo to try to show more detail. They seemed hungry and quickly ate the food, so we put in more. |
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The photos were sent over to Thomas Iwai who quickly identified them as "Amphipods." A batch was sent over to him in Honolulu. They didn't travel well and most died enroute. But enough survived for Tom to take this photo |
The amphipods are part of exhibits in the Micro-Lobster Museum at Fuku-Bonsai. A few tanks include amphipods, the predator metabataeus, and opae'ula. In observing the creatures in the pond, I get additional insight and have been able to create increasing depictions of the natural life in the anchialine ponds.