Several years ago, my colleague and collaborator, Michael A. Perkins (North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission) put together a slick specimen photo setup that we have been using to capture publication-quality images of the crayfishes of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and beyond. The imaging “torch” is now being passed to me; I can only hope to do a fraction as well as Mike! 😬
Regardless, I just want to show off some of Mike’s photos.
#25DaysofCrustmas #crayfish #crustmas
Here’s a photo that Mike took that will always have a special place in my crayfish and worm-riddled noggin: Cambarus franklini, the South Mountains Crayfish. This was the first species that Mike, me, and our colleague TR Russ (NCWRC) teamed up to describe in 2019 (Zootaxa 4568 (3): 520-532). It’s a NC narrow endemic. This was our first description together, but will certainly not be the last! #crayfish #crustmas #25DaysofCrustmas #crustacea