#ichthyological

[thingsondesk]

[thingsondesk]

“His eyes are pale and a bit watery these days—less wide than they used to be...”* Another specimen from the Vanuatu collecting trip in 1996. *GQ had a really well written article about Brendan Fraser and it has me thinking about how grief and trauma change people and what it looks like from the other side.

[thingsondesk]

[thingsondesk]

My friend and coworker down in fishes brought this guy to my attention.  I photographed it not terribly long ago but I guess I completely missed the fact that it had this enormous tapeworm dissected out of it.  Beautifully preserved fish.  Beautifully dissected.  Beautifully preserved tapeworm. We tend to do dissections only on the right side of the fish so that we always have an intact side for photographing and reference.  The last picture I’m including in case, like me, you like to see things float into organically nice (if messy) compositions. ::79318 Notropis saladonis:: ::T.P. Howle; Richmond, VA; Feb. 1919 ::

&

Ligula tapeworm

[thingsondesk]

I’ve been taking pictures of these beautiful gar specimens today.  Most of them contorted and formed to fit in the jars they’re in.  But these spiraling forms remind me of the same forms of fantasy twisting water dragon illustrations.

[thingsondesk]

This specimen’s dorsal fin was so beautiful I literally had stop my colleague to tell them about it.  It looked like a drawing.

[thingsondesk]

[thingsondesk]

Cottus asper California: Morro Creek        *Fresh tide water Carl L. Hubbs,   VI:8:1916