Bumblebee Shrimp (approx 1/4″ long)

It was Bumblebee day at the Blue Heron Bridge.  Turned over a lot of urchins and found three that had families of  tiny (approximately 1/4″ long) Bumblebee shrimp on them.  The tiny orange scallop with the blue eyes was about the size of a pinky fingernail.  ID. by Anne as a baby Rough Scallop (Lindapecten muscosus).  The very beautiful yellow seahorse was hard to photograph with the surge in the shallows. Next is a small flounder.  I can’t tell if it is missing some skin or just the skin pigment.  A bristle worm is devouring a shrimp head discarded by a fisherman.  In the very last jawfish photo you can see eyes developing in the eggs.  Three days earlier the eggs were a solid yellowish orange color (see the post photo for the 3/23/12 dive).  The second to the last photo must be Momma.

Click HERE to see the photos.