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Hyperiid amphipod: a shimmer in the net

March 25, 2020

This hyperiid amphipod is a member of the crustacean family, many of which typically act as parasites to gelatinous neighbors, such as salps. This particular suborder lives exclusively in the marine environment. Biologist Paul Caiger, who snapped the picture, saw this particular shrimp-like species during an ocean twilight zone research cruise on R/V Neil Armstrong (2020).

“This amphipod is a beauty! More conspicuous fauna like dragonfishes and large colorful cephalopods certainly get you excited when you see them for the first time. But there are plenty of other equally wonderful creatures that are smaller and harder to find. This one was curled up in a ball, and as it was fairly small I could easily have missed it. Then it unraveled in my photo dish. The way the light caught the rainbow colors certainly stood out.”

(Photo by Paul Caiger, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)