Critter ID

[banshee]

Ok...I was looking at my reef tank yesterday and saw a strange looking creature digging a tunnel in the live sand (against the glass). It is about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long and transparent/grayish. It looks kind of like a cross between a cleaner shrimp and a scorpion. It looks like a cleaner shrimp from the midsection down...and a scorpion from the midsection up, but it had one pretty big crab-looking claw that was blocking my view of its head. Sorry, I don't have a digital camera or I would have taken it's picture. Anyone know of any shrimp looking creatures that burrow deep in live sand?

 

[salvatore]

I have found this exact creature within the past two weeks. Its built quite an elaborate tunnel system in the sand and is always on the move.
The digital camera wouldnt really focus on it so I couldnt get a picture. Anyone know what this is?

 

[salty rick]

Could this be a Mantis Shrimp? Maybe NMReef would know.

 

[joe's reefer]

if the claws were pretty big it was a pistol shrimp a partner of the watchman goby.