The Most Beautiful Bivalve In The World – Pedum spondyloideum

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Admin11

The Coral scallop (Pedum spondyloideum) is the most beautiful animal I have encountered underwater. The delicate bivalve lives within the hard coral its entire life.

Scientific name: Pedum spondyloideum
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: Hard corals in shallow water
Diet: Filter feeders
Average Size: 35mm-55mm

What purpose do they serve in the ecosystem? Researchers believe these beautiful bivalves serve a beneficial function among hard corals.

Provide circulation for feeding coral
Defend the host by expelling water when threatened by corallivorous marine life

The hard coral provides the bivalve with support and protection. The shell is very thin and fragile. Below is a great example of a protected piece of coral with an army of coral scallops.

The crown of thorns starfish is the most devesting predator of the coral. If the coral (host) dies the bivalve will not survive.

The coral scallop is very thin and fragile. The living animal is much more beautiful than the protective shell it produces. These specimens were given to me by a fellow researcher.

I first started photographing these beauties in 2010, below are some of my favorite images taken throughout the Ryukyu Islands.

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

This site is also designed to help people identify the beautiful animals of Okinawa, basically to serve as an online nature reference guide. If you would like to make a contribution to support my mission, please click on the donation link paypal.me/maketheswitch4nature

Your donations will help conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support, Shawn M Miller.

#MakeTheSwitch4Nature

Cryptic fish, Comets and Stars by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Admin11

The Comet (Calloplesiops altivelis) is a type of marine betta found in the beautiful waters of Okinawa. They hide in caves during the day. At night they come out to feed on small crustaceans. They are a mysterious fish and can be challenging to photograph. Comets are uncommon, yet very little is know about the behavior of these cryptic animals.

Scientific name: Calloplesiops altivelis
Common Name: Comet (Marine betta)
Distribution: Ryukyu Islands
Habitat: submarine caves
Diet: crustaceans and fish
Average Size: 20cm

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Look close, can see the resemblance between the comet and the spotted moray eel?

Gymnothorax meleagris © Shawn Miller

When threatened the comet will stick its head into a hole and expose its tail end, which mimics the head of the a dangerous moray eel. The caudal fin also has detailed white lines that resemble the razor sharp teeth.

Calloplesiops altivelis © Shawn Miller

Having trouble getting close to marine life during your night dives? I recommend using the Light & Motion Sola 1200 red light feature. This feature enables the user to photograph marine life during the night without disturbing them. Most marine animals do not see the color red or react less to the red light.

Underwater setup with sola 600

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Admin11

Okinawa offers some of the best Scuba-diving in the world. I really enjoy the art of underwater macro photography. Macro subjects can always be found, it just takes some imagination and good framing to create beautiful underwater abstracts. Animal eyes are challenging and exciting areas to focus on. Below are some of my favorite photographs of vision taken on the Island of Okinawa.

Longsnout flathead © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer © Shawn Miller

Leopard flounder © Shawn Miller

Reef squid © Shawn Miller

Coral scallop © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer-fish © Shawn Miller

Pufferfish © Shawn Miller

Hawk fish © Shawn Miller

Stareye parrotfish © Shawn Miller

Broadband cuttlefish © Shawn Miller

Crowned puffer © Shawn Miller

Fire fish © Shawn Miller

Hawkfish © Shawn Miller

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Frogfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Admin11

Frogfish are found throughout the Ryukyu Islands in shallow water. They are popular subjects for underwater macro photographers in Okinawa. They are masters of camouflage and mimicry so they can be difficult to find. The juveniles resemble toxic nudibranchs, tunicates, seaweed, algae, soft corals, and sponges.

Scarlet frogfish (Antennarius coccineus)

Painted clownfish (Antennarius maculatus)

They are also known as anglerfish. They spend most of their time staying in one location using a specialized fishing pole and lure to attract prey. They are vicious hunters and are capable of swallowing fish larger than itself.

They move slowly, crawling over the reef with their pectoral fins or by using jet propulsion in open water.

On several occasions, I have seen large anglers the size of a football at Maeda point” Meet Frogzilla ”

Sometimes humans see random faces on natural objects. The scientific term for this is Pareidolia. Can you see the frogfish resemblance?

My Mission: To Document and Preserve the Wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands

Your donations will help worldwide conservation initiatives as well as bring solutions to the worldwide pollution issues on our beautiful shorelines. Thank you for your support. Shawn M Miller.

Okinawa Nature Photography

沖縄自然写真 By Shawn Miller

Tag Archives: Underwater macro photograpy

The Most Beautiful Bivalve In The World – Pedum spondyloideum

Cryptic fish, Comets and Stars by Shawn Miller

The Eyes of the Underwater World by Shawn Miller

Frogfish of Okinawa by Shawn Miller