Etymology: Bob Crudgington has a species of Cumacean named after him for assistance in the field. A brief summary about this project and species is outlined below:

Picrocuma crudgingtoni

Picrocuma crudgingtoni: Image by B Crudgington based on Tafe & Greenwood (1996)

Cumaceans are small almost exclusively marine crustaceans with over 1500 species described around the world. They are also known as hooded shrimp. In the early 1990’s I was lucky enough to be involved in a research project, surveying Cumaceans within Moreton Bay. Apart from assisting with the sampling (sledge transects) my job was to sort out the Cumaceans from within the plankton samples so they could be studied in greater detail. They are quite recognisable amongst other plankton due to their enlarged and fused carapace or enlarged cephalothorax with a slim abdomen and a forked tail. The survey and project was led by Dr Dennis Tafe with advice provided by Professor Jack Greenwood. 13 new species of Cumaceans from Moreton Bay were described. You can learn more about this project and Cumaceans via the “Memoirs of the Queensland Museum” (1996, Volume 39, Part Two). 

For my assistance within the project I was fortunate to have a species named after me (etymology). P. crudgingtoni is a member of the family Bodotriidae, which belongs in the superorder Pericarida within the class Malacostraca. At the time of the survey this Cumacean was found in abundance over fine sand substrates in depths of 1 to 4 metres associated with Pumicestone Passage, as well as Bramble Bay, Hays Inlet and at Horseshoe Bay, North Stradbroke Island.  The type species (original specimen used for scientific description) was located in Hays Inlet with a length of 1.2 to 1.3 mm and was captured in 2 metres of water. This species is streamlined and well adapted to living amongst fine sand grains associated with tidal currents. They are a drag swimmer using a cyclic motion with their legs (pereopods) in order to move through the water and sediment. They feed on microorganisms and organic matter associated with the sediment and in particular individual grains of sand. Like most Cumaceans, these organisms are sexually dimorphic.

Bob Crudgington B.Sc. (Hons) 

Reference: Tafe, D. J.; Greenwood, J. G. (1996). The Bodotriidae (Crustacea: Cumacea) of Moreton Bay, Queensland. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 39(2): 391-482