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White spotted hermit crab (Dardanus megistos)

Photographer Valerie Taylor (born 1935)

Date1953-2000

Object numberANMS1468[821]

NamePhotographic slide

MediumColour transparency film

DimensionsOverall (inc carrier): 50 × 50 mm

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineAustralian National Maritime Museum Collection Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Valerie Taylor in memory of Ron Taylor

Terms

DescriptionCrustaceans are a vast group of mostly aquatic species that include decapods such as shrimp, lobsters, crayfish, hermit crabs, and crabs. There are also smaller invertebrate species which are parasites of fish called crustacean louse. Crustaceans have an abundant fossil record with many species regarded as ‘living fossils’ that have shown little to no change in their morphology from their early ancestors. Whilst this invertebrate group are extremely varied their common characteristics include a hard jointed exoskeleton with three main body regions: head, thorax and abdomen; two eyes and two pairs of antennae, with paired appendages. Valerie loved animals of all kinds and even had pet crayfish for a while. SignificanceThe simplest definition of macro photography is taking a picture of something so that it appears larger than it is in real life. This technique reveals the tiny hidden wonders of our world. In the early 1970s, Ron made Valerie the first known macrophotography set up for an underwater camera, with extension tubes and framers. Her stunning close-up shots of Great Barrier Reef corals were the cover story for the June 1973 issue of National Geographic. With this setup, Valerie was able to take some of the first high quality macro photographs of very small creatures, like the crustaceans seen in this archive.