I wake up almost everyday and sing, "Hal - imeda!" Is it because I love calcareous green algae?
I first learned about this while diving in Fiji.
(It's a tough life, I know.)
Partly, yes. It's my way of saying good morning to my beloved goldfish, Halimeda, named after the aforementioned algae. I got her back in 2010 when I was TA-ing Biology 310. Goldfish tails are perfectly translucent enough to study blood movement through their veins under different conditions. Every student got to take their fish home if they wished, but luckily for me there was one extra! Not only is she a dear member of our family, she's also the inspiration for this Crabday's crab:
Halimeda Crab
Huenia heraldica
Eee! It's so tiny and so green!
These little crabs are kind of like the decorator crabs we've seen before (here) in that they like to decorate their bodies with bits of the algal halimeda. And, I mean, why wouldn't they, when they look so good!
"I'm going for a 'Dumbo' type look." - halimeda crab
These arrowhead crabs live around the Indo-Pacific, but from the looks of things, probably stay in areas with little-to-no currents:
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