Crustaceans (subphylum Crustacea, phylum Arthropoda)
Crayfish (suborder Dendrobranchiata, order Decapoda, superorder Eucarida, subclass Eumalacostraca, class Malacostraca)
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| Stream crayfish, Durham, 5/13/05. This inch-long crayfish appeared in a stream in my neighborhood. Note that it's pushed its tail into the sand so it's not quite visible. The long antennae have been cropped. | Pond crayfish, Durham, 7/2/05. This crayfish was lying at the bottom of a pond, so it took some image enhancement to bring out the details. It appeared to be several inches long. | This small crayfish (about an inch long), a water strider, veliid bugs and other miscellaneous arthropods appeared in a small puddle, about one foot long, left behind when a creek dried up during what appears to be yet another drought here. Durham, NC, 8/11/08 | This half-inch long crayfish appeared in a puddle left over from a dried-up creek. This image has been enhanced. Durham, 10/3/05. | Pond crayfish, Durham, 5/28/06 |
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| Crayfish holes, Durham, 3/26/07. These were located on both sides of a stream leading to the creek in which the above crayfish were found. Crayfish created these after a long dry spell this spring. | ||
Crabs (suborder Pleocyemata, order Decapoda, superorder Eucarida, subclass Eumalacostraca, class Malacostraca)
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| (Maybe juvenile) Ghost Crab (Ocypode quadrata). Great camouflage! When I first spotted it on an Ocracoke beach on 5/16/05, I thought it was covered with sand. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Ghost Crab, Ft. Fisher, New Hanover County, NC, 10/20/05. Possibly another juvenile. | Adult Ghost Crab, Ocracoke, 5/9/04. | Ghost Crab, Ocracoke, 5/11/06 |
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| Male Brackish-water Fiddler, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/11/06. Only Ocracoke fiddler crabs are this bold. | Female Brackish-water Fiddler (Uca minax) Bay St. Louis, MS, 9/4/03. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Female Brackish-water Fiddler, Carolina Beach, New Hanover County, NC, 8/27/03. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Male Brackish-water Fiddler, 7/18/04, Carolina Beach. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Male Brackish-water Fiddler, Ocracoke, 6/14/02. This male crab really meant to scare me off, even though part of his big claw is missing. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. |
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| Wharf Crab (Sesarma cinereum), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 12/12/05. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Wharf Crab, Ocracoke, 6/13/02. Probably the female of the species of the crab in the picture on the right. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. |
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| Sand Fiddler Crabs (Uca pugilator) on Bogue Sound side of Atlantic Beach, NC, 3/22/05. Thanks to Garrett Herth for ID. | Sand Fiddler crabs, Theodore Roosevelt Natural Area, Pine Knoll Shores, NC, 7/23/08. | Land hermit crab, near Loíza, Puerto Rico, 1/10/05. I saw this small animal on land, in a karst forest near the beach. |
Beach Fleas (family Talitridae, order Amphipoda, superorder Peracarida, subclass Eumalacostraca, class Malacostraca)
Beach fleas look like small shrimp except for the placement of their unusual legs and move very much the way springtails do, taking rapid leaps several times their lengths, until they (very quickly) find cover. In fact, springtails are found in the same places, moving in a similar manner. Adult beach fleas are about 20 mm long. Taxonomic info from Woods Hole Marine Lab Beach Flea Page.
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| Beach Flea (maybe Orchestia genus), Snow's Cut Park, New Hanover County, NC, 3/8/09. This little critter was hopping all over the Cape Fear River shore and was just about to hide under a log when I took this photo. |
Pillbug (order Isopoda, superorder Pericarida, subclass Eumalacostraca, class Malacostraca)
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| Pillbug, Duke Forest, Korstian Division, Orange County, NC, 6/11/06. Who would believe "roly-polies" are crustaceans? |
Barnacles (class Maxillopoda, infraclass Cirripedia)
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| Pelagic Goose Barnacles (Lepas anserifera, family Lepadidae, suborder Lepadomorpha, order Pedunculata, superorder Thoracica), found on a piece of driftwood at Ft. Fisher beach, New Hanover County, NC, on 10/20/05. These are pelagic barnacles most often seen when they're washed up on beaches. Genus name provided by Garrett Herth. |