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Species: Busquilla plantei

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Click on any image to see an enlargement. All photos © 2006 Roy Caldwell.

Common name: None

Functional type: Spearer

Range: Hawaii and Australia to Madagascar

Habitat: Open, soft, sandy substrates

Depth: 5–30 m

Home: Simple u-shaped burrows

Diet: Unknown; probably small crustaceans

Size: 15–70 mm

Color: Grey with pink and orange polarized patches on raptorial merus and abdominal tergites; red intersegmental lines; red spot anterior meral saddle; yellowish telson spines

Distinguishing Characters: Large, smooth bilobed eyes; Strongly polarized patches of red and orange on raptorial merus and tergites; uropodal exopod with dark red distal patch on proximal segment extending onto inner half of distal segment. A similar species, B. quadraticauda, has the entire distal segment of the uropods dark

Activity: Unknown, but occasionally seen by divers looking out of burrow during the day

Aquarium Requirements:

Temperature: 22–28° C

Salinity: 33–35 PSU

Cohabitants: Unknown

Aquarium size (adult): 20 l

Aquarium substrate: Cohesive sand in which to dig or pvc pipe for burrow

Suitability for Aquarium: Fair; seems sensitive to water parameters; the dramatic polarized color patches make it an interesting species

Availability: Rare; occasionally can be specially ordered from collectors in Hawaii

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External Anatomy and Explanatory Notes