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Now That’s An Isopod (Bathynomus giganteus)

Dante — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:11:00 +0000

As with all of my images posted here, they are for your enjoyment and are not public domain, all are copyrighted. Please do not copy, download, post online, or reuse in any fashion the photographs that I have posted without express written permission to do so. Any use of my images must be approved in writing. To access the images I have posted, you must click on the subject heading link above. By doing so, your action serves as legal recognition of my stated copyright restrictions, it signifies your willingness to use the images only after written permission is provided, and it acknowledges that failure to follow the rules is a violation of international copyright law. Thank you for your cooperation.

The Giant Marine Isopod (Bathynomus giganteus) is currently the largest known isopod in the world. Isopods are crustaceans, related to shrimp, crabs, lobsters, prawns, amphipods (side-swimmers or “scuds”), etc. They are also related to “pillbugs” or the “roly poly” we find in our basements and gardens. Most isopods are small. In fact, it is relatively uncommon to see one larger than an inch or two in length, including both terrestrial and aquatic species. There are about nine species in the genus (Bathynomus) inhabiting the sea floors of both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. As I understand it, they can be locally abundant where they occur.

The strange appearance of these invertebrates has captured people’s attention. While science has known about Bathynomus giganteus for an excess of a hundred years, the internet has helped to boost awareness of them in the general public. For example, a fairly recent story related a situation where a submarine returned to the surface with one of these isopods attached to it. Apparently one of the deck hands took some shots, posted them on the web, and asked what it was. The images became an over night internet sensation and thrust Bathynomus giganteus into the limelight. Subsequent stories have kept the creature in the collective conscious of Americans who, by and large, are either horrified or fascinated, perhaps a little of both.

Having been fascinated by deep water marine life, I always hoped I’d get to see one of these creatures live. My opportunity came to pass not out at sea but at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I can not complement the Shedd enough for their spectacular exhibits and their attempts to display uncommonly seen animals. They have done a magnificent job. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to photograph one of their Bathynomus giganteus specimens. Not sure if I would have ever been at the right place and time to see one hauled up on a ship’s deck from the depths. If you do happen to visit the Shedd Aquarium, make sure to take a moment and see these spectacular invertebrates!

Bathynomus giganteus lives on the deep ocean sea floors of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.

Bathynomus giganteus was described in 1879 by Alphonse Milne-Edwards.

This specimen is not a particularly large individual. They can attain lengths of roughly 30 inches (~76cm). Why deep sea isopods get so large is an interesting question. Deep sea gigantism (also known as “abyssal gigantism”) comes into play. This is a phenomenon whereby relatively small life forms in shallow waters have deep sea relatives that are larger than “normal.” Some biologists have hypothesized that the cold temperatures of bathypelagic habitats produce larger cell sizes, resulting in larger life forms. Another argument suggests that because the habitat where these animals are living is so cold that most things are long lived and simply have a greater period of time to get larger. Another more recent argument is that the depths provide an advantage for body temperature control. The stable temperatures of the deep sea are involved, which undoubtedly affect body temperature regulation, and in turn may affect the dynamics of surface area to mass ratios. Regardless of the cause behind the phenomenon, there are some great examples of deep sea gigantism including the Japanese Spider Crab and the Colossal and Giant Squids.

Bathynomus giganteus is believed to mainly be a scavenger on the ocean floor, eating the carcasses that make it to the depths. Some have suggested that they may also prey upon other small and slow moving invertebrates.

The species can be found as shallow as ~550 feet depth (~180m) down to over 7,000 feet depth (~2,330m).

The alien appearance of the Giant Marine Isopod.

Bathynomus giganteus has compound eyes.

There are two pairs of antennae in Bathynomus giganteus.

Females develop a brood pouch and keep their developing young in the pouch. Juveniles emerge as miniatures of the adults and are called mancae. There is no larval stage.

Alabama’s Biodiversity

Dante — Thu, 20 May 2010 22:51:11 +0000

Alabama has been a great place to visit. There is some amazing wildlife in the state with quite a few endemic species. Working with friends and colleagues, I’ve been able to see just a small slice of this biodiversity. I’d like to thank J.J. Apodaca, Dismal’s Canyon Park, Randall Blackwood, Bernie Kuhajda, and Mark Mandica for time, help, and fun in the field.

Alabama is rich in subterranean habitats. This cave system has a stream flowing out of it.

Of all of the obligate subterranean amblyopsid fishes, the Alabama Cave Fish (Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni) is the most divergent in body form...particularly in head shape.

The Alabama Cave Fish, Speoplatyrhinus poulsoni, is named after the famous cave fish biologist, Tom Poulson. It is a single site endemic in Alabama and is federally listed as an endangered species.

Southern Cave Fish (Typhlichthys subterraneus) is present in a number of Alabama caves.

Adding to their strange appearance, the lack of eyes in Southern Cave Fish make them an oddity for most folks.

Who said that Southern Cave Fish are diminutive in size?

The Alabama Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) is a federally listed endangered species also ranked by the IUCN as "EN" or endangered.

Sharing common characters with other obligate subterranean wildlife, these shrimp are blind and without pigment.

Inside the carapace, eggs can be seen developing within this female.

The body size of the Alabama Cave Shrimp is about an inch total length.

One of the endemic cave crayfish to Alabama is Procambarus pecki.

Aa a subadult, Procambarus pecki has smaller chelae (pinchers).

Orconectes australis is a species of cave crayfish with a larger distribution including Alabama and other states.

If you haven't been to Dismals Canyon Park to see the glowworms, you need to. The glowworms are larval flies (Orfelia fultoni) referred to affectionately at Dismals Canyon Park as "Dismalites."

I got to watch a larvae eat a fly that it caught in its web.

Eating a fly...

A few fly larvae can spin webs like spiders to catch their prey, including the fungus gnat (Macrocera nobilis).

I think that the unique aspect about the glowworm (Orfelia fultoni) is how they attract insects to their webs – bioluminescence.

In Dismals Canyon, glowworms can be seen in considerable densities. Here is a shot of a few glowworms in close proximity on a rock face.

Another more famous glowworm is New Zealand's cave dwelling glowworm (Arachnocampa luminosa). The difference between North America's species (Orfelia fultoni) and New Zealand's species is a second lantern inside the bodies of North America's species. There is a lantern at each of Orfelia fultoni.

The blue light produced by "Dismalites" (Orfelia fultoni) is one of the most blue lights produced via bioluminescence.

The Red Hills Salamander (Phaeognathus hubrichti) is an endemic to several counties of Alabama.

The Red Hills Salamander was not described until 1960. Because it lives below the ground in burrows, it had been elusive to biologists.

The Red Hills Salamander can attain lengths of roughly 10 inches (~25 cm).

I'd like to thank J.J. Apodaca for showing me such a cool salamander!

The Red Hills Salamander is a federally listed endangered species and is listed by the IUCN as "EN" or endangered. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 60% of the remaining habitat for the salamander is owned or leased by paper companies.

Field Work in Chile

Dante — Sun, 16 May 2010 15:01:02 +0000

I’ve been back and forth from Chile several times already this year working on the Darwin’s Frog Conservation initiative (www.savedarwinsfriogs.org). The Chileans that I work with are quite simply fantastic people. I have had a great time working with Andres Charrier in the Nothophagus forests of the south of the country. We have seen some incredible wildlife. I thought I’d share just a few.

: Our days usually begin with Andy making coffee. When we found ourselves without coffee filters one morning, Andy got desperate. I hope his sock was clean.

: The old logging roads that we have used to get to a few localities have not been kind to the two wheel drive vehicles that we have used.

: Four wheel drive vehicles have worked out much better for the roads we have been using.

: To get to remote headwater areas where isolated & uncut forest patches still exist, horses have worked well.

: Horses have really enabled us to get to some great forests.

: Mules have been great for carrying in supplies to these remote sites where we are going to camp for longer periods of time.

: Camping has allowed us the time necessary to investigate remote forest patches that haven’t been cut.

: A make shift lantern illuminates camping supplies to make breakfast before dawn.

: I really can’t complain about the scenery.

: Seems like we are always working in the shadows of volcanoes.

Andy leaves no stone unturned.

: The flowers from this vine (Asteranthera ovata) have been amazing.

: Darwin’s Frogs (Rhinoderma darwinii) have been the focus of our project in Chile. Individuals like this one, with two or more shades of green, are a little less common than a single shade of green or multiple shades of brown and tan.

: This is one of the more attractive individuals that I have seen.

: I also like the soft green Darwin’s Frogs.

: Two tone color patterns are common in these frogs.

: You can imagine how concealing these colors and patterns can be when frogs are at rest in bamboo leaf litter on the forest floor.

: This green male has a vocal sac full of developing young.

: The fleshy spurs on the “ankles” of these frogs are called calcars.

: Every now and again we have come across adults that have lost their nose appendage.

: Earth tones in the color pattern of this frog conceal it in the forest’s leaf litter.

: The ventral colors of Darwin’s Frogs are beautiful. The lower abdomen sports black and white marbling.

: Fantastic looking frogs!

: Newly “spit out” Darwin’s Frogs are minute.

: The profile of Darwin’s Frogs is unique.

: The arms and legs of Darwin’s Frogs sport bumps and fleshy extensions. All of these characters work to disrupt the noticable outline of a frog so that search image oriented preadtors have a harder time spotting them in the leaf litter.

: Darwin’s Frogs aren’t uncommon around streams.

The smaller drainages in the forests where we have been working have been loaded with wildlife.

Freshwater crabs (genus Aegla) have been common encounters.

Lurking among the moss covered boulders of the Nothophagus forests of Central Chile are some spectacular amphibians. I had always wanted to see Chile's "False Mountain Toads" (Telmatobufo venustus).

The long toes of this treefrog (Batrachyla antantartica) beg questions revolving around what they are used for.

Great colors in the pattern of this terrestrial frog (Alsodes igneus).

Chile has its own "Tomato Frogs" (Eupsophus rosae).

Chile's history with logging is not new. This old water powered saw mill is now out of service and gathering dust. It has been replaced with the most modern of logging equipment.

The humid temperate forests of Southern Chile host stunning biodiversity and are immediately threatened by unsustainable logging practises.

Deforestation has impacted the many endemic species to Chile's southern forests.

Massive stands of monocultured exotic tree species now stand where southern temperate rainforests once grew in Chile. These man made forests have little value to the local wildlife.

This is an all too common sight in South Chile.

I'd like to thank Andres Charrier (left) for all of his valuable time that we have spent with one another in the forests of South Chile. He has taught me so much about Chile's amazing amphibians.

Freshwater fish biodiversity in the upper Amazon basin

Dante — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:25:34 +0000

On a recent trip to the Peruvian Amazon, I was able to visit with a good friend and tropical fish exporter, Martin Mortenthaler. Freshwater fish biodiversity in the upper Amazon basin is astounding. This is just a fraction of what can be found there but I really enjoyed seeing all of the fish. I’d like to thank Bill Lamar, who hosted me while visiting Iquitos.

Freshwater Barracuda (Acestrorhynchus sp) known locally as "Pez Perro" or "Pez Cachorro"

Freshwater Barracuda (Acestrorhynchus sp)

Apistogramma agassizii "blue"

Apistogramma bitaeniata "red"

Apistogramma bitaeniata "yellow"

Apistogramma pandurini

Banjo Catfish (Dysichthys amazonicus)

Brachyplatystoma juruense

Banded Goliath Catfish (Brachyplatystoma tigrinum)

Driftwood Catfish (Tetranematichthys quadrifilis)

The descriptive term "haematophagous" refers to blood feeding. Most often, animals associated with the lifestyle are things like female mosquitoes and leeches. However, there are other examples. It appears that most Candiru feed on the gills of larger fish or more accurately, the fluid that flows through the gill tissue, blood. Stories of the fish swimming up the urethra of unwitting humans bathing in South American Rivers abound. In fact, there is only a single documented case involving a Brazilian man. This Candiru (Plectrochilus {Vandellia} cf erythrurus) is one of the more common species in the Amazon. If interested in Candiru, a "must read" is Stephen Spotte's book on these fish: Spotte, S. 2002. Candiru, Life and Legend of the Bloodsucking Catfishes. Creative Arts Book Company, Berkeley, CA.

Candiru (Plectrochilus {Vandellia} cf erythrurus)

Cetopsis sp

Corydoras acutus

Corydoras atropersonatus

Corydoras leopardus

Family Loricariidae (cf Spatuloricaria sp)

Family Loricariidae

Family Loricariidae (Pseudohemiodon apithanos)

Zebra Otocinclus

No, this is not a mutant trout...it's locally called a Fasaco Pintado (Erythrinus erythrinus)

Flame Blue Tetra

Marble Hatchetfish (Carnegiella strigata)

Juvenile Red Hook myleus (Myleus rubripinnis)

Myleus sp "Green"

Piranha (Pygocentrus cf diamante)

Piranha (Pygocentrus cf elongatus)

Piranha (Pygocentrus cf niger, Juvenile)

Piranha (Pygocentrus sp)

Piranha (Pygocentrus sp "Rio Napo")

Discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata)

Red Pencil Fish (Nannostomus mortenthaleri)

Knife Fish (Porotergus nattereri) known locally as "vampiro"

Duck Billed Knife Fish (Compsaraia samueli). This species just recently got a formal scientific name: Albert, J.S. and W.G.R. Crampton. 2009. A new species of electric knife fish, genus Compsaraia (Gymnoformes: Apteronotidae) from the Amazon River, with extreme sexual dimorphism in snout and jaw length. Systematics and Biodiversity 7(1): 81-92.

Monster Fish (Thalassophryne amazonica) have hollow toxin filled dorsal spines.

Monster Fish (Thalassophryne amazonica)

Animals that live in the sand are referred to as "psammophilic" or sand loving. Freshwater flounders are often found on sand and silt flats where they can bury down with very little of their bodies exposed. Often only their eyes are visible. They sit and wait for small invertebrates to come too close. This is an Amazonian Fresh Water Flounder (Family Achiridae)

Fresh Water Flounder (Family Achiridae)

Leaf Fish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus)

Another group of psammophilic fish are the Freshwater Stingrays. This stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) is one of the species often exported for the aquarium trade.

Freshwater Stingray (Potamotrygon castexi)

Freshwater Stingray (Potamotrygon sp)

Glass Shrimp (cf Palaemonetes species (perhaps P. ivonicus))> It may also have a parasitic bopyrid isopod. I'd like to thank Alexander Kim of Harvard for help with the IDs.

More Bioluminescence

Dante — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:33:52 +0000

A recent trip to Peru and Chile provided a couple more opportunities to photograph bioluminescence. In Peru, I had the great good fortune to help famed canopy biologist Dr. Meg Lowman teach a tropical biology course out at the ACTS field station and canopy walkway, off of the Rio Sucusari. The resource is an amazing one: over 500 meters (1,500+ feet) of walkway connecting giant rainforest trees with tree platforms and a highest point of 35m (115+ feet) above the forest floor. It is something that anyone interested in canopy biology should look into as a resource. Please see my canopy walkway post for more details and images.

First, I’d like to thank Frances Gatz, Meg Lowman, and Phil Wittman for the opportunity to participate. Phil and Meg were lots of fun in the field. Second, as I have said before, no photographer exists in a vacuum. I’d like to thank Mike Ready, Bill Lamar, and Terry Lynch for suggestions and comments on bioluminescence photography.

The forest floor shots in Peru depict a bioluminescent fungus OR a bioluminescent bacteria that decomposes leaves from the Yacushapana Tree. Dr. B. Perry of the University of Hawaii at Hilo helped me recognize that a bacteria could be responsible for this bioluminescence.

With regard to the images from Chile, I worked in the field (Southern Chile) looking for remaining populations of Darwin’s Frogs. In a remote river valley, I found a firefly larvae (Lampyridae) and was able to capture it glowing in the dark. The larvae was observed on a mossy boulder at the edge of a stream.

The forest floor by day...

The same leaves at night.

Daylight...

The fungus OR bacteria is breaking down leaves from the Yacushapana Tree.

These lampyrid larvae can be found across Loreto's rainforest floors and produce a blue/white light.

This lampyrid has the ability to retract its head into the first segment of its body.

The head is normally extended outside of the first body segment while the larvae is walking around. One student on our trip, who observed this species glowing in the dark, felt that this anterior most segment also produces light.

This is a different lampyrid larvae that I encountered in Chile

As far as I could tell, only the terminal body segment produced light.

This is the bioluminescence produced by the terminal segment of the larvae.

The ACTS Canopy Walkway

Dante — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:45:25 +0000

As with all of my images posted here, they are for your enjoyment and are not public domain, all are copyrighted. Please do not copy, download, post online, or reuse in any fashion the photographs that I have posted without express written permission to do so. Any use of my images must be approved in writing. To access the images I have posted, you must click on the subject heading, which is a link, above. By doing so, your action serves as legal recognition of my stated copyright restrictions, it signifies your willingness to use the images only after written permission is provided, and it acknowledges that failure to follow the rules is a violation of international copyright law. Thank you for your cooperation.

Any time that I may be able to work in a forest canopy, I jump at the opportunity. I had the benefit of working in Madagascar’s Masoala Peninsula with the French Canopy Raft Program and spending days above the forest floor on the canopy raft, in the canopy sled, and in the ICOS tree fort units. That experience clarified in my mind the immense value of tools that enable canopy access for biologists. The perspective from the treetops is entirely different than from the forest floor. More often than not, the biological community in the canopy is just as different. In Peru, I had the great good fortune to help famed canopy biologist Dr. Meg Lowman teach a tropical biology course out at the ACTS field station and canopy walkway, off of the Rio Sucusari. The resource is an amazing one: over 500 meters (1,500+ feet) of walkway connecting giant rainforest trees with tree platforms and a highest point of 35m (115+ feet) above the forest floor. It is something that anyone interested in canopy biology should look into as a resource. I’d also like to thank Dr. Phil Wittman for serving as great company in the field and for help with invertebrate IDs.

The canopy walkway at ACTS traverses open spaces between giant rainforest trees.

View of the canopy walkway from a platform on one of the emergent rainforest trees.

The ACTS walkway has a mesh material that keeps visitors safely on the walkways.

Visitors to ACTS traverse streams and spans between trees on the same style of walkway.

Clusters of bromeliads grow on trees immediately adjacent to the walkway.

Dusk on the Canopy Walkway

I have always loved Hercules Beetles.

Great insects, like this shield mantis (Choeradodis stalli) are in the area.

This colorful Passion Vine Bug, a reduviid in the genus Anisoscelis, cleans its proboscis.

Metalic colors made this insect a fun encounter.

Night hikes are great because you never know what your flashlight will illuminate.

The Green Tree Boa (Corallus batesi).

Corallus batesi is an arboreal snake, sometimes sitting on the same branch for days on end.

These katydid nymphs were congregated on a branch.

Ecdysis, or the molting of an external cuticle, is always fun to watch.

Katydid nymphs often sport brilliant colors or cool patterns.

An Ornate Hopper (Family Fulgoridae).

An Ornate Hopper (Family Fulgoridae) nymph.

Its great catching a snake (Philodryas {Xenoxybelis} argenteus) sleeping at night.

In the past past, we used to see dozens of these rain frogs (Pristimantis ockendeni) on night hikes. Now, one or two in an evening is a good find.

On the forest floor, toads (Rhinella castaneotica) mimic leaves.

Arboreal snails were observed on every night hike.

There was a spectacular termite emergence after a hard rain. Predators were out at night to get their fill.

Tarantulas (Avicularia ancyclochira) are not uncommon in the area at night.

Tortoise beetles (Eugenysa sp.) appear to have shells like their namesake.

This leaf mimic (Typophyllum bolivari) is a katydid.

Bark Weevil (Rhinastus latisternus) faces are never boring.

A canopy dwelling lizard, the Amazon Thorneytail (Uracentron flaviceps), lives in family groups.

Adult males have salmon heads.

Juveniles and females have green heads and darker bodies.

Chiasmocleis bassleri is a microhylid endemic to the upper Amazon basin.

Ants were drinking from this ginger (Costus).

While it is generally rare to observe things munching on palm fronds, someone forgot to tell these caterpillars that palm fronds don't taste good.

Here is another spiny caterpillar feeding on a palm frond (Family Saturniidae: Automeris sp.).

Amazon Horned Frogs (Ceratophrys cornuta) are difficult to see in the leaf litter where they live.

Matamatas (Chelus fimbriatus) can be just as difficult to distinguish in the leaf-litter strewn forest backwaters, where they can sometimes be found.

The Amazon Giant Snail (Megalobulimus popelairanus) is the heaviest terrestrial gastropod in the world.

These guys have great faces.

Did I mention how dainty they are?

Podocnemis sextuberculata is one of the South American side-necked river turtles; it is known locally as "Cupiso."

Having enjoyed the tropical ecology class and the canopy walkway, I wanted to thank Bill Lamar and Meg Lowman for a great time. Left to Right: Danté Fenolio, Meg Lowman, Bill Lamar.

Near Shore Deep Water Wildlife

Dante — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 23:05:43 +0000

As with all of my images posted here, they are for your enjoyment and are not public domain, all are copyrighted. Please do not copy, download, post online, or reuse in any fashion the photographs that I have posted without express written permission to do so. Any use of my images must be approved in writing. To access the images I have posted, you must click on the subject heading, which is a link, above. By doing so, your action serves as legal recognition of my stated copyright restrictions, it signifies your willingness to use the images only after written permission is provided, and it acknowledges that failure to follow the rules is a violation of international copyright law. Thank you for your cooperation.

Near shore deep water wildlife has always been interesting to me. Often, the organisms that exploit the habitat live in deep water by day and migrate to shallower water under the cover of darkness to pursue prey items. Some of the species that you see here live along deep reefs or the walls of steeply sloping terrain that lead down to abyssal depths. Species like the Chambered Nautilus spend their days as deep as 610m (~2000 feet) and then make the migration to hunt in shallow waters at night. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to see some of these amazing creatures live and to photograph them. I can’t thank enough the people that have made these opportunities reality. I’d like to thank Osamu Inamura, the Uozo Aquarium, Sunpet Inc., and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute for the opportunities that I’ve had.

: The Chambered Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) is a cephalopod, related to squid, octopi, and cuttlefish, ranging through the tropical Pacific and Indian Oceans. Individuals live in deep water by day (down to 610m/2000 feet depth). At night, they swim up to shallow water to feed. Some Nautilus species have up to 90 tentacles. Nautilus can adjust the direction they travel by changing the orientation of a structure called the siphon. They use jet propulsion to move, pumping water out of their siphon. Adult Nautilus pompilius can grow to about 20cm (~8 inches) in length. The shell of Nautilus pompilius is filled with gasses and liquids; the animal’s body is accommodated only within the outer most chamber. The nautilus can move liquids into and out of the chambers to regulate buoyancy. The liquids move between chambers through tube-like connections called siphuncles. Nautilus pompilius are little changed over the last 150 million years and have extinct relatives that date back as far as 450 to 500 million years. Nautilus pompilius is threatened owing to over harvest for the shell trade. This individual was photographed in December of 2009.

Nautilus have poor eyesight. They rely on smell and touch to hunt and find mates.

In contrast to other cephalopods, Nautilus don't have suction cups on their tentacles.

I've been lucky to see live Bobtail Squid (Rossia pacifica) off of the coasts of Japan and California. This is another deep water cephalopod.

Dumbo Octopi have interesting flaps on their "heads" that they use for locomotion. This is a species tentatively assigned to the genus Grimpoteuthis from the Monterey Bay Trench.

When feeling threatened, some Dumbo Octopods invert their bodies in this defensive pose.

Pristigenys alta, the Short Bigeye, typically lives along deep reefs in water up to 200m (656 feet) deep. The fish are tropical and subtropical ranging through the Caribbean north along the Atlantic coast of North America.

The deep reef dwelling Pristigenys alta, the Short Bigeye.

The Scalloped Ribbonfish (Zu cristatus) is a deep water marine fish that feeds on small fish and squid. It swims in the water column with its head upward pointing. They can grow to roughly 118 cm total length (~3.9 feet). This is a young individual photographed in the Sea of Japan (2007).

The Longfin Snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax) feeds on copepods and other mesopelagic invertebrates in its juvenile state. Adults feed on benthic invertebrates. They are encountered between 25 and 600 meters depth (82 and 1968 feet). This individual was photographed in the Sea of Japan (2007) Courtesy of the Uozo Aquarium.

The Red Batfish (Halieutaea stellata) is found to 400 meters depth (~1312 feet). Batfish have a modified dorsal fin ray called an illicium protruding from their heads at the end of which is a fleshy lure, called an esca. The esca is used to attract prey. A special space in their face to accommodate the lure is called the illicial cavity. This individual was photographed in the Sea of Japan (2007). Courtesy of the Uozo Aquarium.

The Fathead (Malacocottus gibber) lives at depths that can excede 1000m (~3280 feet). Courtesy of the Uozo Aquarium.

Bioluminescence

Dante — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:15:12 +0000

As with all of my images posted here, they are for your enjoyment and are not public domain, all are copyrighted. Please do not copy, download, postonline, or reuse in any fashion the photographs that I have posted without express written permission to do so. Any use of my images must be approved in writing. To access the images I have posted, you must click on the subject heading link above. By doing so, your action serves as legal recognition of my stated copyright restrictions, it signifies your willingness to use the images only after written permission is provided, and it acknowledges that failure to follow the rules is a violation of international copyright law. Thank you for your cooperation.

I have been working on photographing bioluminescence for the past few years. These images are results from a couple of recent shoots. Most of these shots are simple timed exposures ranging from 2 minutes to 15 minutes. I’d like to thank Terry Lynch, Mike Ready, and Bill Lamar for their suggestions and input as I began to learn bioluminescence photography.

Motyxia sequoia alia - orange phase

Motyxia sequoia alia - newly molted

Motyxia sequoia alia - bioluminescence

Motyxia sequoia alia - Fluorescence under black light

Bioluminescence in a species of Photinus fire fly from Georgia

Monterey Bay’s Deep Water Wildlife

Dante — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:48:26 +0000

I would like to thank Dr. G. Cailliet for great assistance on IDs for these mesopelagic animals, trawled from between the surface to 1000 meters depth in Monterey Bay, California (November 2009). A few of the fish were photographed at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I’d like to thank MBARI for allowing me the opportunity to take these shots.

Bioluminescent Copepod (Gaussia princeps).

Brittlestar

Hyperiid Amphipod (Hyperia sp).

Marine Worm (probably Pelagogobia sp.).

Hyperiid amphipod (Cystisoma fabricii).

Midwater shrimp (Sergestes similis).

Krill (Euphausia pacifia).

Pteropod mollusk, a free swimming snail (Clio pyramidata).

Gammarid Amphipod (Paracallisoma coecus).

Polychaete worm (Tomopterus sp.).

Unidentified natant decapod

Unidentified gastropod mollusk (Neptunea amianta?)

Bristlemouth/family Gonostomatidae (Cyclothone, probably acclinidens).

Larval Dover Sole (Microstomus pacificus).

Juvenile midwater eelpout (Melanostigma pammelas), family Zoarcidae.

Midwater eelpout (Melanostigma pammelas), family Zoarcidae.

Hatchet fish/Family Sternoptychidae (Argyropelecus, probably lychnus).

Hatchet fish/Family Sternoptychidae (Argyropelecus, probably lychnus) - close up of photophores on lower body

Hatchet fish/Family Sternoptychidae, (Argyropelecus, probably lychnus).

Lanternfish/Family Myctophidae (Diaphus theta).

Northern lampfish/Family Myctophidae (Stenobrachius leucopsarus).

Unidentified juvenile big scale, family Melamphaeidae

Unidentified snailfish/Family Liparidae (probably Lipariscus nanus).

Tiger rockfish (Sebastes nigrocinctus).

Pacific Electric Ray (Torpedo californica).

White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus).

Texas Cave Shrimp (Palaemonetes antrorum)

Dante — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:17:21 +0000

Crabs, shrimp, and lobsters are in the order Decapoda. Subterranean habitats around the world have their fair share of decapods inhabiting them but I have always been interested in the groundwater shrimp. North America has a few species and they are all imperiled to differing degrees. With the cave work that I do, I’ve been excited about photographing any of the native species and I got my chance with Palaemonetes antrorum (family Palaemonidae). A friend with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service allowed me to photograph a few specimens. They ranged in size from 1.5-2cm (about 1/2 to 3/4 inches) in total length. The species is endemic to Texas and the IUCN currently categorizes the Balcones Cave Shrimp or the Texas Cave Shrimp (P. antrorum) as EN (endangered). After the photoshoot, I had a fair amount of material that I was reasonably happy with. I’ve posted a number of examples here.

Pretty much opaque…

I noticed that they like to lift their bodies up off the substrate and typically have a leg or two not in contact with it.

I like that you can see their digestive system through their carapace.

It is really interesting to watch these guys cruising the water column.

Looking down on them...

This is a good example of a shrimp resting on a couple of walking legs while the others are stuck out into the water column.

I like ventral shots because they tell you a bit about the body plan of the subject.

Hovering in the water column