Marine Plankton
Milford Haven
Pembrokeshire UK
Aims of the Site
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To share marine plankton information
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Display photos of plankton biodiversity
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Provide an educational resource
Welcome. This site covers coastal plankton washing on to the stunning shores of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. There is an amazing biodiversity of microscopic life living in every drop of seawater. Collections are made around Milford Haven, part of the Special Area of Conservation, with the most regular ones made in Dale. Before looking at the details of The Species check the specimens chosen each month in the Previous Photo of the Month. The monthly Blog is full of photos of the latest species found. You may want to have a look at the Biodiversity page that gives a plankton overview while Methods looks specifically at how the samples are taken and photographed. More below.
Photo of the Month
This is the zoea larva of the Masked Crab Corystes cassivelaunus. Photographed in early April this was my first example of this strange crab. Adults live buried in sand with the antennae adapted to form a tube through which they draw water. The larva is distinctive as it is one of the UK's largest crab zoea, reaching nearly 8 mm measured from the tips of the two long spines. In the sample it showed up orange from the pigment in the dorsal spine.
