Zandvlei Trust

ZIMP - Fish.

2013.

06/09/2013 - Evanne Rothwell found this Horse Mussel washed up on the beach. She did some research and found the information below.

The Horse Mussel “lives partially buried vertically in sheltered mud or sand, with the wide posterior end projecting above the surface.
The byssal threads of the mussel were reputedly woven into Jason’s golden fleece of Greek mythology.” Information from Two Oceans a guide to the marine life of southern Africa by GM Branch, CL Griffiths, 
ML Branch, LE Beckley.

Additional information is by George Branch of UCT.
The mussel is the Scaly Horse-mussel Atrina squamifera. As it ages, it loses its shell-scales and becomes less recognisable; but its rounded end is characteristic. The other species has a square-cut end. 
The male pea crabs are minute and seldom seen, but they do move between shells to mate. Yes, you are right: this is a female (you can tell by the broad abdomen) and it is in berry. I can confirm this is a pea crab, genus Pinnotheres. Distinguishing the different species is tricky, and it is likely that we have more than one species in S Africa. The common one is P. dofleini, which occurs in black mussels, but we have found pea crabs in oysters and in horse mussels, and their sizes are so different that we suspect there is more than one species in SA.

photograph by Evanne Rothwell.

A Horse Mussel shell found by Evanne Rothwell. See what was inside below.

photograph by Evanne Rothwell.

A Pea Crab, female in full berry was inside the shell when she found it.

29/04/2013 - A knowledgeable local fisherman caught this 40cm long Mozambique Tilapia and brought it to the Nature Reserve office.

Mozambique Tilapia - Oreochromis mossambicus, it will be disected for management records
to find out what it was eating.

01/04/2013 - This Pignosed Grunter was caught at Zandvlei.

photographer unknown.

Pignose Grunter.

30/01/2013 - Case Veugelers was testing the waters today and caught this juvenile Leervis. He was pleased to note its presence.

photograph by Case Veugelers.

A quick photo before taking it details and releasing it back into the vlei.