Muck-diving and Macro-diving Underwater Critters
Underwater photography macro subjects in Anilao, Indonesia, Bali & Lembeh
This is the underwater critter list of macro species that I used for Anilao, Phillipines and Bali & Lembeh Indonesia for macro underwater photography. It is not complete, but it's a great starting point. We found 90% or more of these critters in Anilao, and almost all are also found in Lembeh, Sulawesi. This is also a great macro subject list for Mabul, Ambon, Bali, Papau new guinea or any other muck diving area in the Indo-pacific region.
Further reading:
- Dive destinations
- Settings for macro photography
- Super-macro underwater photography
- Underwater composition
- Photographing marine life behaviour
- Fish photography guide
- Marine Taxonomy Chart
Worms
Bobbit worm, Eunice aphroditois
Fire Worm
Nudibranchs & Molluscs
Phyllodesmium rudmani, Xenia mimic nudibranch
Marionia species
Cerastomata alleni
Solar-powered nudibranch. Photo by Larry Polster
Solar-powered nudibranch, Phyllodesmium longicirrum. Anilao. Photo by Mike Bartick.
Swimming Clam, Bali
Electric Clam
Shrimps and Crabs
Peacock mantis shrimp, gorlock mantis shrimp
Bumblebee shrimp, very rare! (great find Peri!)
Colmani shrimp, lives in pairs on fire urchins
Harlequin shrimp
anemone shrimp
bubble coral shrimp
jumping shrimp, Thor amboinensis. Often waves its tail, sits outside anemones.
imperial shrimp
crinoid shrimp
Tozeuma (Stilleto) shrimp
Tiger shrimp, Bali
Hairy squat lobster (purple), Lauriea siagiani. Lives on Barrel sponges.
Squat lobster (crinoid crab)
xeno crab
porcelain crab
Soft coral crab
evil shrimp (ID needed)
Sawblade Shrimp, Tozeuma species
Saron shrimp
Red Army Shrimp (Bali), Rhynchoinetes durbanensis
Orangutan crab
Zebra crab, found under fire urchins, Bali
Slipper lobster
Wire-coral shrimp
Unknown crab, Lembeh. Photo by Larry Polster
Boxer Crab
Squid, Octopus, Cuttlefish
Common Reef squid
Bobtail squid
Pygmy (mimic) squid
Flamboyant cuttlefish
broadclub cuttlefish
pygmy cuttlefish
large cuttlefish
Reef octopus (photo needed)
Coconut octopus (photo needed)
Mototi octopus, photo by Mike Bartick
Blue-ringed octopus, photo by Mike Bartick
Mimic octopus
Juvenile Fish
juvenile longfin batfish
juvenile harlequin sweetlips
juvenile oriental sweetlips
juvenile spotted boxfish or pufferfish
Juvenile Rockmover Wrasse from Kona, Hawaii. Photo by Jeff Laity.
juvenile catfish
juvenile lionfish
juvenile pinnate batfish
juvenile barrimundi
juvenile ribbon eel. Juveniles are black, adult males blue.
juvenile emporer angelfish
Fish
Frogfish
Frogfish, photo by Larry Polster
Juvenile painted frogfish
Painted frogfish, Antennarius pictus, photo by Jeffrey de Guzman. Species often develop large scab like patches on body. This species has the ability to change almost any color including white, black, red, pink, orange, yellow and brown.
Juvenile warty frogfish
Warty frogfish.
Warty frogfish, Antennarius maculatus. Photos by Jeffrey de Guzman. Juveniles frequently yellow with red-brown saddle and orange borders of rear dorsal and tail fins. Often in open sand.
Antennarius randalli, Randall's Frogfish - Dark Phase. Photos by Jeffrey de Guzman
ID: Color changeable to match surroundings.
Antennarius coccineus, Freckled Frogfish.Photo by Jeffrey de Guzman.
ID: Lack tail base, short lure half height of adjacent dorsal ray; highly variable color from drab shades of red. Solitary and cryptic. Reef crevices or among rubble of coastal.
Seahorses
pygmy seahorse
yellow (thorny) seahorse
Giant seahorse of Anilao
Another Giant Seahorse
Yellow pygmy seahorse
New lembeh seahorse, looks like a stick or algae
Pipefish
coral banded pipefish
Sand pipefish
Common pipefish
robust ghost pipefish
ornate ghost (harlequin) pipefish
juvenile ornate ghost pipefish
Halimeda ghost pipefish
mushroom coral pipefish, Siokunichthys nigrolineatus
Rhinopias
Rhinopia eschmeyeri
Rhinopia frondosa, Weedy Rhinopia
Rhinopia apanes, Lacey Rhinopia. Photo by Larry Polster
Misc Fish
Snake Eel
Garden eel
Garden eels
Male ribbon eel
female ribbon eel, lembeh. Rarely seen, the female is the last color stage of the Ribbon eel. Photo by Larry Polster.
Wire coral goby
Various gobies w/shrimps
Fire dartfish
Mimic Filefish, mimics a Toby
Jawfish
Razorfish (shrimpfish)
Banggai Cardinalfishes
Pajama cardinal fish
Urchin clingfish, photo by Mike Bartick
Convict blennies
Cometfish
Leafy filefish
Soft coral fishfish, photo by Mike Bartick
Scrawled filefish
Trunkfish
Spotted blue Boxfish
Yellow boxfish
Mandarin fish
Camoflauged bottom-dwelling fish
Fingered Dragonet
Stargazer
Common Lionfsh
Leaf scorpionfish
Twin spot lionfish
Crocodile flathead
Stonefish
Sanddiver, male display with 2 females
Pegasus sea moth
Flying gurnard
Cuckatoo waspfish, Lembeh. Photo by Larry Polster
Devil scorpionfish
Ambon scorpionfish
Male ambon scorpionfish, lembeh. Photo by Larry Polster.
Sea snakes