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Sea Spider (unidentified)
Chuck Babbitt photographed this small animal
in 65 feet of water at a spot he calls Disneyland, straight out
from the new Disney resort at Ko Olina, West Oahu, and sent me the
photo to ID. It seems to be a pycnogonid, more commonly known as
a "sea spider." and can be identified as such by its four
pairs of long, slender legs (although a few pycnogonids have 5 or
6 pairs of legs). Small and well camouflaged, these tiny, slow-moving
predators are noticed only by the most sharp-eyed of divers. Most
species are probably less than 1/2 in long. According to the Bishop
Museum, there are about 15 known species of sea spiders in Hawaiian
waters, but I don't have a clue how to figure out which one this
is. I didn't even think to mention these obscure animals in my book
Hawaii's Sea Creatures. Thanks, Chuck, for bringing them
to my attention!
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