Protoperidium are dinoflagellates that prey upon nauplii, among other things. Nauplii is a general term for crustacean larvae. Many protoperidinium feed by extruding their cytoplasm out of their theca in the form of a pseudopodium to engulf prey. Once the prey is absorbed, the cytoplasm retracts itself back into the theca. If nauplii survives protoperidinium predation, they molt into crabs after 8- 13 weeks, in this case into Hemigrapsus oregonensis. Commonly known as the Bay Shore Crab, Hemigrapsus oregonensis lives in estuarine areas and are small yellow-green crabs that primarily feed on algae and diatoms. These crabs feed at night to avoid their primary predators, birds. They can easily seek shelter under rocks and debris. #mynaupliuslife aims to show the predator prey relationship as well as the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult. Visit the nauplii Twitter page: https://twitter.com/NaupiP
