While the students deserted us on 24 May, the Pearson College dock has thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands?) of visitors right now. The final larval stage of the Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister) is called a megalopa and there a many, many megalopae swarming around the dock.
On the dock, there are also thousands of juvenile crabs scrambling around. The megalopae molt and metamorphose into the benthic juvenile stage seen below.
There are also many megalopae and juveniles on the succession substrates that students put in the water in September 2012.
And Ivan thought nothing was using his wire!
Tags: Dungeness crab, megalopae, Metacarcinus magister, Pearson College dock, succession substrates, year 39
Pearson College Marine Science 
May 31, 2013 at 8:57 pm |
Hey, Laura! Hope you’re enjoying the now more peaceful campus.. We saw these “crab-plankton” you’re posting about on the last night – amazing! But what was even more interesting was the weird, somewhat disgusting, sea snake/fish slithering around the surface eating the tiny crabs.. It was about 10 – 15cm long and 3 wide I’d say.. There were a couple. What are they?
Cheers and all the best, Johan yr 39
Sent from my iPhone
May 31, 2013 at 10:04 pm |
Hi Johan! Thanks for your message – great to hear that you are still thinking about Pedder Bay despite being away.
My guess about the disgusting creature you mentioned is Nereis brandti (http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/departments/biology/rosario/inverts/Annelida/Nereidae/Nereis_brandti.html). I will investigate, try to photograph a few and let you know for sure.
Enjoy your break!
Cheers, Laura.