The animals of protected or concealed microhabitats: During the night, many kinds of cryptofauna come out from small spaces of the shelves of reefs and coral substrate.

The cryptofauna constitute a category of animals which contribute an important reef ecosystems because these organisms present a high level of diversity, in terms of both different age levels and occupying spaces.

The various cryptofaunas are considered to be important as food for fish and other creatures on coral reefs.