Distribution: Not previously recorded in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. Recorded from South Africa and the Red Sea in the west, Indonesia, the Philippines and Papua-New Guinea, New Caledonia and the Hawaiian Islands in the east. Only previous record from Australia at Lizard Island.

Ecological notes: Believed to live solely on Cirripathes whip coral species. These photos taken at 18m depth.

Additional notes: Feeds on secretions and small particles collected in the mucus of the wire or whip corals. Females generally larger than males, specimen photographed around 15mm in length. Similar species, Dasycaris zanzibarica has similar striping but also has upright projections on the head and carapace.

References: Tentative identification courtesy of Peter Davie, Curator of Crustaceans, Queensland Museum, 11/08/2020.

GBIF Secretariat: GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei Accessed via https://www.gbif.org/species/6456714 Accessed 03/07/2024.

Australian Museum, Lizard Island Field Guide, Pontonides ankeri cf.