Small Inchworm/stuckbug thing came in on some NC algae

[LobsterOfJustice]

I harvested some marcoalgae locally in southern NC, this weird bug came in on it. It is maybe 1/2" long, looks like an inchworm or a small stick bug. In this pic it is to the left of the snail, it is vertical. It is holding on to the coral rock with its back legs (at least 4), and it is holding its body upright. It has more legs and a head at the upright end.

Think it's safe?

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Caprellid amphipod?

 

[Tennyson]

Wow, your lucky, recently I was reading this cool book about the ocean and read about these. They aren't harmful to anything in the tank, except for small floating things that they can catch and eat. Anyway, I'd consider it to be a real treat to have one of those, they are so cool in the pictures in the book I was reading. Tell me, does it have little legs at the base of that stick body, that it uses to attach to a rock? Get some more pics of it, they are so cool!

Oh, so sorry, I forgot to give you its name, they are called Skeleton Shrimp, there are tons of different species that live all over the costs around where you got it.

Heres a link to a species that lives in California, there are, of course, many other different species in many different places, like where you went. Any way, heres the link, it mentions that they cling onto algea near the tide line.

http://animals.jrank.org/pages/1837...MP-Caprella-californica-SPECIES-ACCOUNTS.html

Heres a link to a pic of a deep sea one, just to see if it really is a skeleton shrimp:
http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/sertc/images/photo gallery/Caprellid.jpg

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Thanks for the ID! Glad to hear its safe. It looks A LOT like that picture. And the description sounds right, I found it among algae right at the tide line.

Yes, it has at least two pairs of legs at the anterior end which it holds onto the rock to. When I collect algae I find quite of few of them, but I usually throw them back. This one made it home however There is plenty of "stuff" floating around in my refugium so he should have enough to eat. Maybe I will bring him home some buddies next time I'm out.