Squat Lobster (Eumunida picta)

A regular and abundant inhabitant of western Atlantic Lophelia reefs, this red species of squat lobster with white-tipped chelae and legs perches atop rocks and coral fronds, pincers at the ready to instantly snag an unwary midwater fish that approaches too close. A more cyrptic long-armed relative guards a chemo-seep furrow. Nearby sits a scorpionfish (Idiastion kyphos), a newly recorded species for the Gulf of Mexico.