! Monti Eating Isopod? (pic) !

[rickyfins]

I found this little pod eating(?) my Monticap. He is no bigger than a flea and invisible to the naked eye until I dipped the Cap in an Iodine solution. Then the isopod willingly jumped from the host in a leap of faith trying to rid himself of the painful iodine encounter.

He is definitly an isopod because of his ability to curl and the following observations. Once found and put against contrasting background, to the naked eye he looks like a flatworm but he has a mandable, legs, eyes, and tail! Close examination under the microscope also has confirmed him being an unidentified species of isopoda because of the detail at which I could observe the creature in question.

Anyone have a really good microscope for sale? It is time for me to upgrade! I want one that accepts a Digital Camera hookup this time!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v709/rickyfins/isopod1.jpg

Any Ideas?

thanks,

Rick

[LeslieH]

That's a sphaeromatid isopod. Looks like it might be in the genus Platysphaera or something similar. I don't know if there's any nformation available on what they eat. It's quite possible that they live on the Montipora but don't harm it.

[rickyfins]

Well I have been having a lot of trouble with keeping the Montipora species happy in my SPS dominated tank. Everything is doing great except the Montipora. I decided to do a precautionary iodine dip to see if I could accumulate any critters as a potential cause. These were the only critters to come off of the Montipora. The Montipora in my aquarium have an ebb and flow kind of routine. They do well for a week or so, then deteriorate, then make a comeback to only then to recede to their former state. The color goes but the polyps stay for the most part, except in really affected areas. I have been dealing with this problem for months and this is the only critter I have found. I even examine the tank at night with a red light to see if I am missing something. So far this seems to be the culprit. Only time will tell and unfortunately more dips to see if they keep coming back. I am going to dip again in a week. I have a few specimens of the isopod on a glass slide for further analysis. I will have access to a high powered microscope on Monday that has the ability to take pictures so I will post them thereafter for better identification.

thanks,

Rick