Painted gobies confront a small spider crab ( Inachus spp ) in typically pugnacious fashion
SCUBAHUB
Painted goby 2 ( Pomatoschistus pictus ) – The more I watch these little fish , the more I admire their attitude . Any creatures ( including divers ) moving around on the seabed attract their attention in a search for food that has been disturbed . They don ’ t seem to just wait passively either , but actively harass animals like crabs to get extra titbits . Painted gobies can be distinguished from other gobies by the rows of black spots on their dorsal fins . The front dorsal fin sometimes displays a large signalling flash of brilliant blue .
Large group of sentinel worms in the Helford
Sentinel fan worm 3 ( Acromegalomma vesiculosum ) – One of these worms in its gritty tube is just to the right of the goby . Large numbers of them are found in the Helford and the ‘ sentinel ’ name is certainly apt , given the large eyespots on their tentacles and the speed with which they withdraw when you approach them .
The distinctive projections of the sponge 4 ( Hymeniacidon perlevis ) can be seen in the foreground . This species likes silty conditions so the very tips of these projections are often the only part of the sponge ’ s cushion that is visible .
Large mass of the sponge ( Hymeniacidon perlevis )
Least clear of the large animals is the Leach ’ s or scorpion spider crab 5 ( Inachus spp .) lurking by the starfish ’ s left-hand arm . The covering on its back , claws and legs is the same colour as the projections of sponge nearby and that is no coincidence . The crab will have helped itself to pieces of this or a similar sponge , tearing them off and sticking them onto small hooks on its armour . These fragments of sponge then grew into a slippery and nasty-tasting defensive coat , which also makes it even harder to identify the crab down to species level !
As well as these obvious animals , there are lots of others in the picture including delicate feathery hydroids , tube worms of different species , small barnacles and more . That means there ’ s a member of every major animal phylum ‘ On the spot ’ and all this is within an area around one tenth of a square metre . As with so many places , the Helford definitely rewards you just stopping , waiting and looking ! �
20