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Felimare marci
Sipunculus sp.
Atrina seminuda
Porpita porpita
Solecurtus sanctaemarthae
Hippolyte obliquimanus
Themiste alutacea
Bolinopsis vitrea
Nodipecten nodosus
Shrimp Periclimenes paivai on the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna
Nodipecten nodosus
Phyllorhiza punctata
Nodipecten nodosus
Madracis decactis
Myrichthys ocellatus
Stegastes sp.
Sterna sp.
Chelonia mydas
Pomacanthus paru
Mussismilia hispida
Symplegma sp.
Zoanthus sp.
Ceriantheomorphe brasiliensis
Palythoa caribaeorum and Palythoa variabilis
Parablennius pilicornis onPalythoa variabilis
Pennate diatom colony
Anomalocardia brasiliana
Dictiocysta elegans
Peritrich ciliates on Coscinodiscus sp. diatom
Metacylis sp.
Marine dinoflagellates
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Saccocirrus parvus
Saccocirrus parvus
Saccocirrus parvus
Saccocirrus parvus
Pharyngocirrus sonomacus
Oreaster reticulatus
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Felimare marci
Site: Serraria Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Carlo Magenta Cunha
Although a few millimeters or centimeters in size, the nudibranchs fascinate by their spectacular colors, almost always in vibrant and unusual patterns. It's called warning coloration - predators, get out, I have bad taste or I am toxic! -
Sipunculus sp.
Site: Barreiro Beach, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Gisele Yukimi Kawauchi
Sipunculans are common worms that live burrowed in sandy or muddy shallow waters, but are inconspicuous. When found unburied they call attention by the smooth texture, the squared body wall, and by the iridescent skin. -
Atrina seminuda
Site: Barreiro Beach, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Gisele Yukimi Kawauchi
Having a relatively large triangular shell, the half-naked penshell lives partly buried in sand or mud. Among the lateral projections of the shell, some invertebrates find shelter, such as crabs and other shellfish. -
Porpita porpita
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
With an intense blue color typical of organisms that live on the surface of the ocean, the blue buttons are colonies of specialized polyps that sail in open ocean, carried by the wind and currents. . -
Solecurtus sanctaemarthae
Site: Barreiro beach, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
With rectangular shells, species from this group of mollusks are known as razor clams. They live buried into the sandy-muddy sediment and have the fleshy part of the body larger than the shells. -
Hippolyte obliquimanus
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Rafael Campos Duarte
Shrimps of the species Hyppolyte obliquimanus show a great variation in color, from individuals of homogeneous coloration which camouflage on seaweeds, to transparent specimens, as shown in the photograph, which occupy a larger range of substrates. -
Themiste alutacea
Site: Cigarras Beach, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
The sipunculids have a muscular trunk and a retractable introvert with branched tentacles, responsible for food capture. Some species, like the one photographed, live under pebbles and attract attention by the colorful tentacles arranged in a star shape. -
Bolinopsis vitrea
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
Like jellyfishes, comb jellies are among the many gelatinous creatures that glide smoothly across the oceans. Translucent and almost invisible, they light up with the rainbow colors when hit by the sun's rays. -
Nodipecten nodosus
Site: Angra dos Reis, RJ
Technique: stereo-microscope photography
Author: Jorge Alves Audino
The bivalve mollusk commonly known as lion's paw scallop is a species of high commercial value and appreciated in the culinary. The eyes and tentacles, as shown in the photograph, are the sensory organs in this animal. -
Shrimp Periclimenes paivai on the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
At sea, catching a ride is not that rare. Besides the trip, hitchhikers earn free meals, shelter and protection, as the shrimp photographed among the oral arms of a jellyfish. However, for the jellyfish carrying these hitchhikers it is apparently neither good nor bad. -
Nodipecten nodosus
Site: Angra dos Reis, RJ
Technique: confocal microscopy
Author: Jorge Alves Audino
Mollusk larvae are planktonic and swim actively in the water column. The photograph highlights the external and internal anatomy of the larva: the cilia used for swimming in green, the cellular nuclei in blue, and the apical organ (kind of a ganglion nerve) in yellow. -
Phyllorhiza punctata
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
Common along the Brazilian coast, jellyfishes can occur in populations of thousands of individuals during certain times. Like all cnidarians, they are equipped with cnidae, microscopic structures that contain toxins, which function in defense and food capture. -
Nodipecten nodosus
Site: Angra dos Reis, RJ
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Author: Jorge Alves Audino
The larva of the lion's paw scallop swims freely in the ocean for some days, and then migrates to the bottom where it will live as adult. The photograph highlights the shell and the vellum, structure with many cilia used for swimming and food capture. -
Madracis decactis
Site: Búzios Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
The star-coral is one of the few true coral species that occurs on the coast of São Paulo. Polyps are usually brownish, but sometimes can display an intense blue fluorescence. -
Myrichthys ocellatus
Site: Búzios Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Although it resembles a snake, the moray eel or mututuca is a fish without dorsal and pelvic fins. Found on rocky and coral reef environments, it is usually nocturnal and feeds on other fishes, octopuses, and crustaceans. -
Stegastes sp.
Site: Búzios Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Despite its name, the damselfish is territorial and aggressive against other fishes. Good parents, they devote much of their time taking care of the nest, where they lay hundreds of eggs. -
Sterna sp.
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: telephoto lens photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
With forked tail, narrow wings, and straight and pointed beak, terns are excellent fish hunters. Flying in large groups, it is not uncommon to observe aerial maneuvers aiming dives in the search of small fish. -
Chelonia mydas
Site: Cabras Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Known to reach up to 80 years, the green turtle is mainly herbivorous and found in tropical and subtropical regions of all oceans. Although dependent on the atmospheric air for breathing, it can remain more than 4 hours submerged. -
Pomacanthus paru
Site: Cabras Island, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Docile and curious, the French angelfish inhabits coral reefs and rocky shore environments along the Atlantic Ocean. When young they display four distinct yellow stripes, while adults have white mouth and only the edges of the scales yellow. -
Mussismilia hispida
Site: Moleques Lighthouse, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Found only along the Brazilian coast, the brain coral is one of the main coral reef builders. Spherical and quite massive, its skeleton serves as refuge and as nursery to a wide range of invertebrates. -
Symplegma sp.
Site: Barreiro Beach, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: stereo-microscope photography
Author: Alvaro E. Migotto
Sea squirts may live in colonies made up of thousands of tiny individuals. Although adults are permanently attached to hard substrates, their larvae are planktonic and look like miniature tadpoles. -
Zoanthus sp.
Site: Segredo Beach, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Despite its flower appearance, the Zoanthus is an animal relative to corals and sea-anemones. Occurring in shallow waters, due to its color, colonies are readily seen in the wild and appreciated by divers and underwater photographers. -
Ceriantheomorphe brasiliensis
Site: Segredo Beach, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: underwater photography Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Tube anemones live inside a self-made tube. Reaching about 20 cm long, they can have more than 180 tentacles, used to capture small organisms. Owing to their beauty, tube anemones are targets for the aquariophily market. -
Palythoa caribaeorum and Palythoa variabilis
Site: Segredo Beach, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Extremely abundant in shallow waters of the Northeastern and Southeastern Brazil, these zoanthids maintain a symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae, which help the hosts in their nutrition in exchange for protection. -
Parablennius pilicornis onPalythoa variabilis
Site: Julião Beach, Ilhabela, SP
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Marcelo V. Kitahara
Curious and territorial, the ringneck blenny is a common marine fish in the Brazilian coast. It is widely distributed and is one of the first vertebrate to colonize available artificial substrates. -
Pennate diatom colony
Site: São Sebastião, SP
Technique: scanning electron microscopy - 4 different magnifications
Author: Fernando Freitas de Oliveira
With varying formats and usually measuring between 0.01 and 0.2 mm, the diatoms are microalgae that inhabit both marine and fresh waters. They serve as food for many aquatic organisms and can be solitary or colonial. -
Anomalocardia brasiliana
Site: Araçá Bay, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: macrophotography
Author: Gisele Yukimi Kawauchi
The carib pointed-venus clam lives slightly burrowed in sand or mud of shallow water environments. They are collected at low tide and appreciated in the classic spaghetti alle vongole and in the miso soup of the Japanese cuisine. -
Dictiocysta elegans
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Author: Inácio Domingos da Silva Neto
Besides the unicellular organisms that photosynthesizes, into the aquatic environment there are many heterotrophic microorganisms, i.e., that do not produce their own food. Ciliates, such as the one photographed, feed on bacteria and protect themselves by secreting a hard covering. -
Peritrich ciliates on Coscinodiscus sp. diatom
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Author: Inácio Domingos da Silva Neto
Some species of ciliates are sessile and use other organisms as substrate and means of transport, as the two peritrich ciliates found attached on the siliceous shell of a diatom algae. -
Metacylis sp.
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Author: Inácio Domingos da Silva Neto
Many aquatic microorganisms move around by means of beating cilia. Tintinnid ciliates sometimes have a lorica - a hard protective covering where they can retract, such as the one micrographed. -
Marine dinoflagellates
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Author: Inácio Domingos da Silva Neto
Dinoflagellates are very common single-celled photosynthetic microorganisms in the oceans, which serve as food source for a wide range of small marine animals. As seen in the micrograph, some species are able to form chains. -
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: histology, light microscopy
Author: Jimena García Rodriguez
Male reproductive organ (gonad) of a medusa. After being extracted and chemically treated, the gonad was sectioned in thin slices and dyed. The four-handed box jellyfish, whose cube-shaped body reaches about 15 cm in diameter, preys on fish and crustaceans with its potent poison. -
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: histology, light microscopy
Author: Jimena García Rodriguez
The male gonad of the four-handed box jellyfish consists of several compartments. With the growth of spermatozoa, the gonad enlarges until the breaking of gonadal epithelium, releasing the mature sperm to the outside. -
Chiropsalmus quadrumanus
Site: São Sebastião Channel, São Sebastião, SP
Technique: histology, light microscopy
Author: Jimena García Rodriguez
Detail of the sperm of a jellyfish, ready to be released into the water, where fertilization takes place. Other species of this group have a complex sexual dance, culminating in the transfer of 'packages' of sperm to the female -
Saccocirrus parvus
Site: La Marinella Beach, Sorrento, Italy
Technique: laser scanning confocal microscopy and immune-histochemical dying
Authors: Maikon Di Domenico and Katrine Worsaae
Anatomy of nerve cords and nephridia from a tiny marine worm that lives in the narrow spaces among sand grains. This type of image is useful for comparing different species of marine worms. -
Saccocirrus parvus
Site: La Marinella Beach, Sorrento, Italy
Technique: laser scanning confocal microscopy and immune-histochemical dying
Authors: Maikon Di Domenico and Katrine Worsaae
Internal structures of a tiny marine worm that lives among sand grains. The net-like peripheral nervous system, glands, epidermal cilia, and nephridia are observed. -
Saccocirrus parvus
Site: La Marinella Beach, Sorrento, Italy
Technique: laser scanning confocal microscopy and immune-histochemical dying
Authors: Maikon Di Domenico and Katrine Worsaae
Internal anatomy of a marine worm. The picture highlights: nervous system and epidermal cilia, in yellow; nuchal organs, responsible for chemoreception, in red; glands in blue. -
Saccocirrus parvus
Site: La Marinella Beach, Sorrento, Italy
Technique: laser scanning confocal microscopy and immune-histochemical dying
Authors: Maikon Di Domenico and Katrine Worsaae
Internal structures from the anterior region of a marine worm. The picture highlights peripheral nervous system, muscles, nuchal organs, glands and epidermal cilia. -
Pharyngocirrus sonomacus
Site: Bird Rock, California, USA
Technique: scanning electron microscopy
Authors: Maikon Di Domenico and Katrine Worsaae
Known to live in all ocean environments, marine worms have a complex external morphology. Many structures of their body are visible only in high magnification, as the cilia surrounding the mouth and the tentacle-like palps, shown in this image. -
Oreaster reticulatus
Site: Mamanguá Bay, Paraty, RJ
Technique: underwater photography
Author: Luciano D. S. Abel
Crawling on the seabed, the cushion sea star feeds on algae and small invertebrates. Sold as souvenir, natural populations are drastically reduced, so the species is considered endangered.
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