I'm a marine invertebrate collection manager in muggy, sunny Florida. I'm a marine ecologist, photographer, scientific illustrator, and massive nerd perpetually jaywalking the intersection of science & art. I grew up snorkeling and running about the wilds of Florida but I love learning to ID everything I see. Whether that's on hikes in CA or NC, or paddling FL's cypress swamps & rivers. My graduate research is on coral reef community responses to multiple human stressors.

I am a taxonomist by trade, but not by schooling (but so few of my generation are). I'm slowly improving in my job duties etc., and strive to be confident when I do make an ID. But I will get things wrong. Please don't hesitate to correct &or comment, I love learning and always want to improve.

note on hermits; Paguristes tortugae and co. are a terribly confusing species complex and I sorta-kinda-accidentally adopted tortugae vs. kaenae (described late 2022) IDs hoping to improve consistency. If you feel able please help! [P. karenae description and (gorgeous!) plates/pics: https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5178.1.1]

ID EXPERIENCE:

• Very experienced in field ID of Caribbean reef fishes and corals; decent with coral disease symptoms; familiar with middle pacific coral reef genera.
• Increasingly improving in specimen ID of Gulf of Mexico inverts; familiar with basket & brittle stars, mantis shrimps, irregular urchins, slipper lobsters, purse & elbow crabs, and some soft corals.
• Familiar with some southern and central CA herps, insects, nudibranchs, other tide pool lurkers, & kelp/reef denizens.