AEFW...to be or not to be...what is it?

[Reefd Up]

Found this bugger on an acropora today after the frag swap (notice, it's 2 am...and I'm still up doing fragswap stuff.)  Any ideas?  Looks similar to AEFW, but I'm not sure. 




And, figured I'd post this sps-eating starfish while I'm here (found today as well):

[verper]

I think (and I could be wrong) that it is a normal flatworm.  I had some of those about 2 years ago and they were mostly on the glass and never reproduced like the solid rust colored ones.  They were clear with the rust colored dot and very tiny rust colored "freckles".  That and it looks like it has a forked tail.  I believe the AEFW are oval.   Those are the key things I saw in your pics.

Also, are you sure about the starfish?  They came on several of my frags from different swappers.

[Reefd Up]

That same SPS that the starfish came on did seem to have some jagged bite marks on the bottom, but I didn't see the starfish actually on it.  When in doubt, get it out. 

[verper]

I hear you.  I trashed mine also, but didn't know if you had a secret way of telling. 

[Reefd Up]

Not yet.  They looked exactly like some I'd seen personally before eating SPS...so...yeah.

The lil bugger turns out to be "an isopod in the family sphaeromatidae. All sphaeromatids are presumed to be micro-grazers and harmless."  We're safe!

http://www.crustacea.net/crustace/isopoda/www/sphaerom.htm

[verper]

Woo Hoo!

[reefman]

Did you look here?

http://www.melevsreef.com/aefw.html

[Reefd Up]

Been to that site a million times over...but it's not AEFW.  It is a sphaeromatid...no big deal.

[aquavista99]

AKA sand skaters

http://melevsreef.com/id/pods.html

[Reefd Up]

I wish I had kept him now...but better safe than sorry!