Commensals on whip coral

Whip coral at Nusa penida island

Whip corals, or wire corals, belong to a group of black corals, most common in the tropical and subtropical sea. You can find many interesting critters and they blends colors and patterns in perfectly with this coral.

Wire coral crab / Xeno crab – Xenocarcinus tuberculatus 
Anker’s Whip Coral Shrimp – Pontonides ankeri
Anker’s Whip Coral Shrimp – Pontonides ankeri (night time color pattern)
Zanzibar Whip Coral Shrimp, Dasycaris zanzibarica.
Whip coral goby (Bryaninops yongei) on a whip coral (Cirrhipathes sp.)

I guess commensals gain protection from the coral but the whip coral has no direct benefit.


Whip coral 또는 wire coral이라고도 하는 회초리 산호에 속하는 이 산호에는 다양한 생물들이 공생하고 있습니다. 특히 몇가지 종의 멋진 새우들이 적들로 부터 쉽게 눈에 띄이 않도록 산호의 색상과 완벽하게 조화를 이루고 있습니다. 하지만 정작 집을 제공하는 회초리 산호는 얻는것이 무엇일까요?

Odd Couple: Shrimp goby and blind shrimp

Spotted Shrimp goby – Amblyeleotris guttata, Shot in Dauin, Philippines.

These shrimp goby live in a symbiotic relationship with shrimps(they sharing same burrow). The shrimps are almost blind and need the goby to keep an eye out for predators. Shrimp goby needs a hiding place and benefits from living in the burrow excavated by the shrimp.

Goby in this video: Spotted shrimp goby (Amblyeleotris guttata).

3 minute long original footage compressed(fast forward) in 35sec.
Filmed at Ambon, Indonesia / Canon 7D, 100mm

Snapping (Blind) shrimp – Alpheus sp., Shot in Dauin, Philippines.

I’m sure many people already know about relationship this shrimp and goby.
But I’m still very curious to know how they actually decide to pair up in the first place?