This came out during a dip, what does it eat?

[sugartooth]

Hello, this is my first try to take pictures using a microscope. This 'pod' looking guy came out during a dip. It's very long, and segmented. It's so long I can't get the whole body in view under the scope.

I wonder what these eat? I understand most 'pods' are harmless, but I'd like to know if these can also eat other 'pods' or flatworms?

Thanks for looking!
Body:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nullcable/2272555106/" title="pod by nullcable, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2272555106_9925f74648.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pod" /></a>


Head:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nullcable/2272555100/" title="pod head by nullcable, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2174/2272555100_55f6445b01.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pod head" /></a>


Tail:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nullcable/2272555108/" title="pod tail by nullcable, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2272555108_2f1745e108.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="pod tail" /></a>

 

[chrisstie]

In all honesty, and I'm not an expert, it looks like a little mantis shrimp

 

[LeslieH]

Well, it is a crustacean. It's an isopod in the family Anthuridae.
http://www.crustacea.net/crustace/isopoda/www/anthurid.htm These tend to be carnivores that prey on small invertebrates.

"Harmless" is relative to whatever you're concerned about. Most small pods are considered harmless because they don't eat corals which is what most reefers care about the most. To other pods & inverts they may be horrific serial killers.

 

[sugartooth]

Thank you kindly Leslie.

Are they indiscriminate in what they eat or specific to certain inverts? There were two that come off this dip, but one died and the one I took a picture of dried up when I went away too long.

I ask also because I wonder (unrelated to this dip) if any 'pods' eat tegastes acropororanus, flatworms, or other pods exclusively.

 

[LeslieH]

The smaller an animal is the less we know about it. I suspect that most anthurids are indiscriminate. Some are specialists on certain animals (including other pods) but again, there's just not much specific information available. Considering that there are thousands of pod species spread across several groups (amphipods, isopods, ostracods, tanaids, cumaceans, leptostracans are the main ones) it would be very hard to find & culture one species that eats reef pests!