Recently I was sorting through all the specimens which either had no name, or were mixed in with other species so their individual identity was unknown. I came across this relatively small box of 12 specimens. As you can imagine, they were piled into the box, with legs and claws everywhere! To say the least…
Category: Museums
Faux Florida
Cancer incisus Leach, 1814 These specimens, with the name Xantho florida written on their boxes, were probably of biggest surprise to me, not due to their appearance or their beauty (although as with all of these specimens- they are beautiful!). It was the name that concerned me. I had 4 records of this species…
Heart Shaped Predator
Phyllolithodes papillosus Brandt, 1848 Apart from the obvious delicacy and beauty of this specimen, which overwhelmed me when I first saw it, it was actually the ‘u’ shaped depression in the middle of the dorsal side of this specimen that caught my eye. It looks spectacular and, now that the specimen is bleached of it’s…
WWII and the introduction of Barnacles
I came across a group of specimens in a box, with a starry label on the glass reading ‘Little Grebe’. As a Grebe is a type of bird, I was slightly confused by this. I decided to look into whether this was relating to the specimen, and found a piece of paper in the box…
Barnacles and sponges
Barnacles are also part of the Crustacea subphylum. The only time I have been exposed to and/or looked into the detail of barnacles was on a Marine Biology field course to Millport, Scotland in June 2012. I studied the Chthalmus genus of barnacle, and their orientation to the coast. Below is a photograph I took…
Chelicerata Vs. Crustacea
The horseshoe crab, scientific name Limulus polyphemus (Linnaeus, 1758), is part of the chelicerata subphylum not the crustacea. There is a species of this amongst the crustacean the collection here at the Manchester Museum, which is what lead me to research more into this subphylum. Differences which set chelicerata apart from crustaceans include chelicerata having…
The process of updating nomenclature
When updating the nomenclature of specimens at the museum, I must read many articles and check catalogues and checklists to find the correct combination of genus and species, as well as the higher classification of each specimen. There are many ‘easy’ specimens, which are listed in many checklists and I can be sure they are…
Mass aggregation saves the day
Whilst going throught the Crustacean collection here at the museum, I have come across a rather interesting species, scientific name Leptomithrax gaimardii, common name the giant spider crab. I like to look into the species that I am describing to gather some history about them, but also to make sure I’ve got the right name…
Identifying Crustaceans
Originally posted on Beach Chair Scientist:
Ever know instinctively that some animals are ‘related’ and just can’t pinpoint their similarities? On the third day of every month I explain three features that are common among three animals of a certain group. Of course, generally each group has more than three representatives and even many more…
Full Time Placement!
Hi, long time no see I know! I’m back now and am starting a full time placement in the Entomology department at the Manchester Museum, where I will be completing my work on the Crustacea collection. To kickstart the blogging momentum (it seems so hard to get going but once I’m posting I can’t stop!),…
ZoologyMolly 