All,
I was asked by a crustacean colleague to pass along the following request
to those of you who might collect sphaeromatid isopods from among your worms.
Thanks,
Kirk Fitzhugh
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--- WANTED Alcohol-preserved Sphaeromatidae (Crustacea, Isopoda) specimens for
molecular analyses
Regina Wetzer, Niel Bruce and Jody Martin, are working on an NSF-supported
morphological and molecular-based phylogenetic and biogeography study of
sphaeromatid isopods (ca. 97 genera and 670+ species). Our goals include
accumulating taxonomic, literature, specimen, and other data and making this
information available in web accessible databases at a website devoted to the
group.
We are soliciting donations of sphaeromatid isopods from around the world
preserved in 95100% ethanol for the molecular work. Specimens for
morphological studies are also welcome.
Coastal benthic habitats that are most productive include coral reef
habitats (dead coral heads, coral rock and coral rubble), algae, sand,
mangroves, sponges, oyster and barnacle tests, and similar. In temperate
and cool waters, algae often have associated isopods. If you are
collecting in these habitats and can preserve specimens in ethanol, we
would be most grateful to receive them. We will happily pay for shipping
and acknowledge your donation.
We have an active collecting program (California, Baja California,
Caribbean, Great Barrier Reef, East Africa, Seychelles) and as we collect
and sort samples for sphaeromatids, we retain the associated fauna. We
will gladly exchange invertebrate specimens with you.
At present any and all alcohol-preserved specimens are welcome.
If you don't want to or cannot sort to family, we will happily accept all
alcohol-preserved isopods.
For further information regarding priority regions, taxa or aids to
identification of sphaeromatids please contact one of us.
Please direct your questions regarding habitats, collecting techniques to
NLB or RW.
Specimen exchanges: contact RW
Thanking you in advance for your sphaeromatid donations, Regina
1. Regina Wetzer, Ph.D.
Research and Collections
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
Tel. +213 763 3217, FAX +213 747 0204
rwetzer at nhm.org
2. Niel L. Bruce, Ph.D.
Marine Biodiversity and Biosecurity
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
Private Bag: 14-901, Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel. +64 4 386 0352, FAX +64 4 386 2153
n.bruce at niwa.co.nz
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