Tag Archive: arthropods


3-21-17 Common Green Birdwing from Ron’s Butterfly Series

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March 21, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies)
Family: Papilionidae (Swallowtail butterflies)

Genus/ species: Ornithoptera priamus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Variable between numerous subspecies.
The top of the forewing is velvety black with a green subcostal and marginal stripe. The bottom of the forewing is black with a chain of bluish or green postdiscal spots.
The hindwings are green. At the wing’s leading edge there are yellow-gold spots with a postdiscal chain of black spots. The edge of the hindwing is black. The underside is dark green or bluish. The yellow-golden spots are transparent. The veins are partly black and the marginal edge of the wing is black. At the outer edge there is a postdiscal chain of black spots.

The body (abdomen) is yellow. Head and thorax are black. The underside of thorax has a red hair coat.
Wingspan: 5 in. (12.7 cm.)  Male below Topwing (dorsal)

Male bottom side (ventral)

 O. priamus is sexually dimorphic. The basic color of the female is dark-brown with a chain of white postdiscal spots on the forewings and a chain of larger white postdiscal spots with dark centres on the hindwing. The underside is very similar to the upper.

The female is larger than the male and in the upper range of the wing-span.

Female below top wing (dorsal)

Female bottom wing (ventral)

 

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found in the Australasia / Indomalaya (Australia) ecozone.

References

California Academy of Sciences Rainforest 2017 Vetting Tim Wong

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1Mz

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/33116609042/in/album-72157608449327886/

EOL eol.org/pages/130749/overview

www.nagypal.net/images/zzpriamu.htm

 Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden www.lewisginter.org/sexually-dimorphic-butterflies/

butterflycorner.net en.butterflycorner.net/Ornithoptera-priamus.952.0.html

insecta.pro  insecta.pro/taxonomy/15076

 

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3-13-17 Atlas Beetle from Ron’s Insect Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, INVERTEBRATES, RAINFOREST COSTA RICA — Leave a comment
March 13, 2017

TAXONOMY
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family: Scarabaeidae  (Scarab Beetles)
Subfamily: Dynastinae (Rhinocerous Beetles)

Genus/species: Chalosoma caucasus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Males have large curved horns which are used when fighting other males for a female. The smaller females do not have horns but are covered with fine tiny hairs called setae. The male female differences are an example of sexual dimorphism.

It is the largest of the genus Chalcosoma and one of Asia’s largest beetles. Length up to 90–120 millimetres (3.5–4.7 in)

DISTRIBUTION: Found from Malaysia south into Indonesia

DIET IN THE WILD: Feed on compost from decaying logs and wood.

REPRODUCTION: Larvae emerge from eggs and grow through 3 instar stages, then a pupal stage in a papery covering (7.5 inches in length) followed by emergence of the beetle after several months

References

California Academy of Sciences Rainforest 2017 Vetting Tim Wong

EOL eol.org/pages/10753705/overview

Natural Worlds.org www.naturalworlds.org/scarabaeidae/species/Chalcosoma_cau…

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/32488979164/in/album-72157620708938680/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1MX

 

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10-17-18 Desert Hairy Scorpion from Ron’s arthropod series

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October 17, 2015

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Scorpiones
Family: Caraboctonidae (hairy scorpions)

Genus/species: Hadrurus arizonensis

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Black cephalothorax with pale yellow rimmed segments; pale yellow abdomen, pincer-like pedipalps, and legs; pale under-surface; and abundant erect dark brown sensory hairs.

Largest of the nine scorpion species in North America. Length 10 to 18 cm (3.94 to 7.09 in)
Ave. weight 5 g (0.18 oz)

They molt 4 to 6 times before reaching adulthood in about 4 years.

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Mexico, western Arizona, southern California and Nevada, southwestern Utah. Found in semi-arid and arid habitats. Dig and live in deep burrows in soil during summer.

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DIET IN THE WILD: Although the venom of North American hairy scorpions is fairly week compared to most scorpions (about the same as a bee sting) these solitary predators immobilize and eat other scorpions, insects, spiders, small lizards and snakes. Forages at night for prey and mates.

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REPRODUCTION: Scorpions reproduce sexually following an intricate mating behavior. Gestation lasts 6 to 12 months. Females give live birth to a large litter of 25 to 35 individuals. Occasionally, after mating, the female tracks down her mate and eats him.

LONGEVITY; Up to 25 years in captivity, ave, 7-10 in the wild.

PREDATORS: Owls and large lizards. When provoked they raise their legs and orienting themselves vertically, striking blindly at anything deemed threatening.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List, Not Evaluated

REMARKS: Venom in the scorpion’s stinger is used to subdue struggling prey and for self-defense. The venom is not very potent or painful to humans. Like all scorpions, has poor eyesight, excellent hearing, and a fine sense of touch (body hairs detect air and ground vibrations).

Color of Life note

Also like all scorpions, they fluoresce under ultraviolet light, a characteristic that allows scientists (and well-equipped backpackers) to detect them in the night and perhaps signals scorpions to avoid damaging UV light.

Ref. California Academy of Science Docent program 2015

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REFERENCES

California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Little Water 2018 with exoskeleton

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4770063879/in/album-72157608653175263/

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1zv

Animal diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hadrurus_arizonensis/

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/3195616/details

Getty Images www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/giant-desert-hairy-scorp…

 

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07-21-15 Madagascar Ghost Mantid from Ron’s Arthropod series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, INVERTEBRATES, RAINFOREST MADAGASCAR — Leave a comment
July 21, 2015

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Mantodea
Family: Hymenopodidae
Subfamily: Epaphroditinae

Genus/species: Phyllocrania paradoxa

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: This is a miniature species of leaf mantis, growing to under 5 cm (2 in). Theses mantids exhibit sexual dimorphism with females being longer and having a wider abdomen than males. Colors can vary from grey/green to dark brown or almost black. Colors are dependent on humidity and light levels. Ghost mantids have leaf-like head and shoulder shields, and leaf-like protrusions hanging from their limbs. This “dead-leaf” appearance makes it very difficult to see. The scientific name is probably derived from Greek for “leaf “(phyllo) and Latin for “head” (crania).

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: P. paradoxa are found in the warm, highly humid tropical forests of Tropical Africa including Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, and Somalia.

DIET IN THE WILD: This species will eat almost anything that moves, and it is very, very fast. When another insect comes within striking distance, the mantid flicks out the long front legs, and grabs it in a fraction of a second. They are remarkably patient, and will sit in the same position for weeks, just waiting for something to land near them.

DIET IN CAPTIVITY: Drosophila (fruit flies), houseflies, crickets, and flour worms.

MORTALITY and LONGEVITY: Generally a long-lived species.  Molt every 3–5 weeks, until the 4th and final molting.  Life span: up to 14 months in captivity.

REPRODUCTION: In general mantids reproductive organs are found at the tip of their abdomen. Females attract males with pheromones, there is a brief courtship dance, and the male alights on the female’s back. After delivering sperm, the male usually hurries away as females are known to consume their mates! After fertilization the female deposits batches of eggs, using an ovipositor at the tip of her abdomen. The eggs stick to stems and leaves, and each batch is housed in an egg case made from an abdominal secretion that hardens to protect the eggs from birds and other predators. After about a month the nymphs hatch and then molt several times, each time becoming more like the adult form. 

Juvenile below

Color of Life Note: Ghost mantids exhibit cryptic coloration (conceals or disguises an animal’s shape). They look like a vine draped on tree and bush branches.

 

LOCATION: Madagascar Rainforest

References

References. California Academy of Sciences Docent Rainforest Training Manual.

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4333501334/in/set-72157620708610230/

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-eK

Encyclopedia of Life  http://eol.org/pages/3489690/details

ADW Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phyllocrania_paradoxa/classi…

 

   

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03-09-15 Cave Roach from Ron’s Arthropod Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, INVERTEBRATES, RAINFOREST COSTA RICA — Leave a comment
March 9, 2015

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda (insects, arachnids, and crustaceans)
Class: Insecta
Order: Blattodea (cockroaches and the termites)
Family: Blaberidae (giant cockroaches)

Genus/species: Blaberus giganteus 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: They have three pairs of legs, and two pairs of wings, the forewings being light brown in colour. Largest neotropical cockroach by weight. A giant cockroach has a flattened, oval body, about 9 cm (3.5 inches) long and 4 cm (1.5 inches) wide. Females are slightly larger than males. They commonly run along the ground, although the adults have wings that are rarely if ever used for flight. They have long, very slender antennae and two sensory organs, called cerci, at the tip of the abdomen.

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Central and South America. They prefer dark, damp locations such as caves, rock crevices, tree hollows, and spaces under loose tree bark.

Blaberus giganteus 3775296951_fd8e873273_b

DIET IN THE WILD: Cockroaches are omnivores and detritivores. Common diet includes bat guano, rotting wood, fruit, seeds, decomposing vegetation, dead insects, and other animals. They help recycle decaying matter on the ground into useful nutrients for plants. 

REPRODUCTION: Females emit a pheromone that induces males to mate. Male courtship rituals include raising wings at right angles to abdomen and making trembling movements with abdomen. After mating, the female B. giganteus will be pregnant for life producing eggs which turn into nymphs which later become adults.

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MORTALITY/LONGEVITY: They can live about 20 months as adults.

PREDATORS:  Army ants kill and eat nymphs.

CONSERVATION:  IUCN: Not Listed; CITES: Not Listed  

Cockroaches dates back over 200-300 million years, and are very adaptable and resilient animals.

REMARKS:  The leg bristles and antennae are used for seeing and feeling, in their dark habitat, while their flat bodies enable them to hide in crevices and underneath rocks. Cockroaches do not have lungs to breathe, but instead they take air in through spiracles, which are tiny holes on the sides of their bodies, and are used to send oxygen to other parts of the body. This allows the cockroach to survive for a period of time without its head, until it dies of infection, starvation or dehydration. When threatened, the giant cockroach is able to produce a foul smell to ward off predators. 

Location: Rainforest Costa Rica CR04 

References: 

Toronto Zoo http://www.torontozoo.com/ExploretheZoo/AnimalDetails.asp?pg=445

Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/1075061/details

Sreng, L. 1993. Cockroach Mating Behaviours, Sex-Pheromones, and Abdominal Glands (Dictyoptera, Blaberidae). Journal of Insect Behaviour. 6: 715-735.

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1tE

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/3776101942/in/set-72157620708938680

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1-21-15 Orb-Weaving Spider from Ron’s Invertebrate Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, INVERTEBRATES, RAINFOREST MADAGASCAR — 1 Comment
January 21, 2015

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae (fangs slope towards each other in a pinching action)
Family: Nephilidae

Genus/species: Nephila madagascariensis

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GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: They have striped legs specialized for weaving (where their tips point inward, rather than outward as is the case with many wandering spiders). In females, the dorsal side of the abdomen has bright yellow markings surrounded by a light gray border. The rest of the body and legs are black with patches of brown. 4.8 – 5.1 cm (1.5 – 2 in) in females, not including leg span, with males being usually 2/3 smaller (less than 2.5 cm, 1 in). Named for yellow threads of their web shine like gold in sunlight not the color of the spider.

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Various species of orb weaving spiders are widely distributed. They exist in the southern United States, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. Nephila madagascariensis madagascariensis is found on the island of Madagascar and certain parts of Southern Africa. 

Spinning web below

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DIET IN THE WILD: Eat insects that get caught in their webs, primarily flying insects. They kill their prey with a venomous bite. While painful, a bite from this spider would not seriously hurt humans.

Golden Orb Weaver

LONGEVITY:: Females usually live about a year, and males about 6 mos.

REMARKS: Golden orb spiders weave large, strong webs out of golden-colored silk which can be as big as 2 m across. The silk strands are reputed to be five times stronger than steel and three times more elastic than Kevlar.
The oldest surviving genus of spiders, with a fossilized specimen known from 165 million years ago.

Rainforest, Madagascar

References

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink: http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-TC

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608653175263/with/3707840635/

California Academy of Sciences: Madagascar Golden Orb Spider exhibit 2014

 iNaturalist www.inaturalist.org/taxa/49758-Nephila

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12-19-14 Rhinoceros Katydid from Ron’s Insect Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, RAINFOREST COSTA RICA — Leave a comment
December 19, 2014

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, katydids, and their relatives)
Family: Tettigoniidae

Genus/species: Copiphora rhinoceros

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF KATYDIDS: They are usually green and have a thick body, usually taller than it is wide, and long thin legs. The head has chewing mouthparts and long thin antennae that reach back at least to the abdomen of the insect. The front wings have special structures that can be rubbed together to make sounds. They hear these sounds with flat patches on their legs that act as ears.

Tettigoniids may be distinguished from grasshoppers by the length of their filamentous antennae, which may exceed their own body length, while grasshoppers’ antennae are always relatively short and thickened.

C. rhinoceros uses the horn like projection on their head for protection from hungry bats.

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Central, North and South America. Found in the forest canopy.

DIET IN THE WILD: They use their powerful jaws to subdue prey such as small invertebrates and consume plant material.

REMARKS Use sound to communicate across distances. Sometimes nearby males will all call together, trying to attract females. They also use their antennae to touch and smell each other.

Copiphora rhinoceros15949749665_c2933568be_k

 

References

Encyclopedia of life  eol.org/pages/972/details

Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org/accounts/Copiphora_rhinoceros/classif…

California Academy of Sciences Exhibit. San Francisco CA

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/15762449040/in/photostream/

WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1qb

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11-25-14 Leaf Cutter Ants from Ron’s Rainforest Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, RAINFOREST BORNEO — Leave a comment
November 25, 2014

TAXONOMY
Animalia (animals)
Phylum (Arthopoda)
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
• Three body parts – head, thorax, abdomen
• Three pairs of legs attached to thorax
• Usually one or two pairs of wings
Order: Hymenoptera (ants)
Family: Formicidae

Genus/species: Atta cephalotes

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GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Rust colored with lighter colored legs, members of the genus Atta are among the largest, most socially complex leafcutters. The huge queen is up to 1.5 cm (0.5 inches) in length, an egg laying machine capable of building a colony of several million individuals. A. cephalotes is noted for its especially large head (hence the name). Workers take many forms and sizes, from large soldiers and major workers with their impressive mandibles. A soldier may be 10 times longer and weigh several hundred times more than the smallest worker.

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Fungus growing ants, or gardening ants, number about 200 species, all in the tribe Attini, and are found only in the New World, in every mainland country except Canada and Chile. Most leaf cutter ant species are native to tropical Central and South America, though a few species occur in the southwestern United States. Atta cephalotes ranges from southern Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil.

Found throughout the tropical rain forest, tropical deciduous forest, and tropical scrub forest. Nests are underground to a depth of 6 m (20 ft). Some have up to 3000 chambers.

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DIET IN THE WILD: They grow their own food by cutting leaves, mostly during the evening and nighttime, and carrying them back to the nest, where smaller workers then process them further and take them to underground “garden” chambers. All along the way, the leaves are fertilized by their handlers with anal secretions. Fungi then grow on the decaying vegetation, and the ants feed exclusively on the fungus, not the leaves. Each ant species grows a specific fungus.

REPRODUCTION: A. cephalotes swarm in mating flights at the onset of the rainy season. The queen mates with multiple males. The founding female has a pocket in her mouth cavity for storage of fungus spores to start her new nest. After she digs the first chamber for the garden, she deposits the spores, gathers appropriate leaves, and begins laying about 1,000 eggs each day. The first group of workers to develop takes over for the queen in caring for eggs, larvae, and pupae. The queen has only one job then—to lay the eggs that will build the colony.
The queen lives up to 10 years on average, but some have lived up to 14 years.

REMARKS: Fungus and ants are mutually dependent for survival. Obviously, the fungus provides the ants with food, but equally important, the fungus receives a warm, moist home and is supplied with fresh, fertilized nutrients. A large colony harvests the same amount of plant material that a cow consumes in a single day. Like most insects, are a good source of protein; they are eaten by people in parts of Mexico and in many places in South America. They also circulate nutrients and aerate huge quantities of soil.

Negative impacts of A. cephalotes include undermining building foundations, causing structural damage and destroying crops.

FOREST FLOOR BO14

References

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/4471989519/in/set-72157620567930293/

For Video ARKive  www.arkive.org/leaf-cutter-ant/atta-cephalotes/video-08.html

 Encyclopedia of Life  eol.org/pages/53197/overview

 Rainforest of the World docent training manual of the California Academy of Sciences 2014

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  wp.me/p1DZ4b-1pv

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11-21-14 California Spiny Lobster from Ron’s Crustacean Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, CRUSTACEANS, TEMPERATE MARINE — Leave a comment
November 21, 2014

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda (Invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages). Includes the insects, arachnids, myriapods, and crustaceans.
Subphylum: Crustacea ( crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles.)
Class: Malacostraca (Body plan comprises 20 body segments (rarely 21), and divided into a head, thorax, and abdomen). Crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, woodlice, scuds (Amphipoda)mantis shrimp.
Order: Decapoda (“ten-footed”) crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp
Family: Palinuridae (langouste or rock lobsters)

Genus/species: Panulirus interruptus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: One of the largest spiny lobster species. The exoskeleton is generally red to orange in color with black markings. Spiny projections are located on the carapace (upper shell) and sides of the abdomen. Their two primary antennae may equal the length of their body. Panulirus interruptus lacks the large pinching claws of their Maine lobster relatives. Average mass is 908 g (32.00 oz) ranging from 454 to 2270 g (16.00 to 80.00 oz). On average, they are 30 cm (11.81 in) long, though they can measure as large as 90 cm (35.43 in) in length.

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DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Monterey Bay, California to Baja California, Mexico. Found in rocky reefs in caves and rocky crevices. Maximum depth 240 feet.

DIET IN THE WILD: Nocturnal scavenging on sea urchins, small clams, mussels, algae and worms.

REPRODUCTION: Breed once a year during warmer months. Males attach sperm packets to females where she can produce up to 800,000 eggs which hatch into tiny young after 10 weeks. They reach legal size for harvest at 7-11 years of age.

LIFESPAN: In captivity 8 to 25 years.

PREDATORS: Giant Sea Bass, California Sheephead, cabezon, horn sharks, Leopard Sharks, octopus, sea otters and humans.

The photo below is a recent Moult ( shedding of the exoskeleton  typically to let the organism grow).

CA Spiny Lobster Molt15837588685_55717b70aa_k

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List and CITES No special status. California fish and game regulates taking of lobster which requires a sport fishing license. In 2003 over 270 metric tons were harvested.

REMARKS: For defense P. interruptus has sharp spines on the body, tail and antennae. It also can use its powerful flexing tail to flee predators.

Southern California Coastal Marine

References

Animal Diversity Web ADW, animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Panulirus_interru…

California department of fish and game nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=36321&inli…

Ron’s flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/15790212682/in/set-72157608602469734/

WordPress shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1pi

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8-20-14 Butterfly Crab from Ron’s Marine Series

Filed under: ARTHROPODS, CRUSTACEANS, INVERTEBRATES — Leave a comment
August 20, 2014

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda (invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages. 
Subphylum: Crustacea (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles). Distinguished from other groups of arthropods, such as insects, myriapods and chelicerates, by the possession of biramous (two-parted) limbs
Class: Malacostraca  (crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, woodlice, scuds (Amphipoda), mantis shrimp and less familiar animals)
Subclass: Eumalacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida  (decapods, krill and Amphionides)
Order: Decapoda (literally “ten-footed”)  Includes crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp.
Suborder: Pleocyemata;  members of the Reptantia (including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and others)
Infraorder: Anomura
Superfamily: Paguroidea (hermit crabs)
Family: Lithodidae (stone crabs)

Genus/species: Cryptolithodes typicus

 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: The carapace covers the thoracic segments extending so far out covering the tips of the legs. The rostrum is widest at the base and narrower at the tip. Chelipeds are covered with rough tubercles. Carapace color is variable, from dark gray-blue to bright orange, white (especially in small individuals), or red (especially in males). The central part of the carapace is often a different color than the “wings”. Carapace width to 8 cm (3 inches).

Cryptolothodes sitchensis has a similar carapace but its rostrum is widest at the tip and its chelae are smooth.

 Butterfly Crab14453583299_3d6be76343_oDISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Marine from Amchitka Island, Alaska to Santa Rosa Island, CA. Found in Rocky banks, shell rubble near rocky cliffs in open coast or inland waters, Depth Range: Low intertidal to 45 m (150 feet).

Butterfly Crab14453618558_e56e0e248d_o

DIET IN THE WILD: Feeds on bryozoans, coralline algae.

REFERENCES:

wallawalla.edu/academics/;  www.wallawalla.edu/academics/departments/biology/rosario/…

 eol eol.org/pages/342506/details

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1k8

Ron’s flickr  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/14453618558/in/set-72157608602469734/

 Photo vetted, Margarita Upton Biologist II Steinhart Aquarium California Academy of Sciences

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