Help! ID needed... a marine flora of some sort?

[gesguerra]

hello dive buddies! anybody knows what this is?

 

[Vie]

Fire urchins (Asthenosoma varium).

Perhaps you stumbled upon an orgy?

 

[gesguerra]

Fire urchins (Asthenosoma varium).

Perhaps you stumbled upon an orgy?

Thanks Vie! An orgy? You mean there are not just one fire urchin in my photo? I never really knew!

 

[Diver Dennis]

Looks like three...

 

[gesguerra]

Looks like three...

Wow! I never knew at all! And were they mating or just bundled together for some reason? Thanks Dennis... by the way, this was taken in Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Philippines...

 

[Vie]

You can find all sorts of cool critters living on fire urchins.

Commensal shrimps (such as Periclimenes colemani or Allopontonia iaini), urchin crabs (Zebrida adamsii), urchin cardinalfish (Siphamia unicolor) or parasitic Luetzenia asthenosomae snails are some of the usual suspects.

 

[gesguerra]

You can find all sorts of cool critters living on fire urchins.

Commensal shrimps (such as Periclimenes colemani or Allopontonia iaini), urchin crabs (Zebrida adamsii), urchin cardinalfish (Siphamia unicolor) or parasitic Luetzenia asthenosomae snails are some of the usual suspects.

Thanks Vie! Next time I stumble upon one, I'll know I have to look even closer for those critters...