Life out of the Pits

Pictured here in 2005 is Dr. George O’Meara about to siphon out the contents of a great Atlantic land crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) hole as part of the annual Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory – Pelican Island Audubon Society volunteer stewardship class. In order to extract the crabhole mosquito (Deinocerites cancer) larvae and pupae for class inspection, Dr. O’Meara has fashioned his own special pump …

Neither the crab nor the hermaphroditic mangrove rivulus fish (Kryptobias marmoratus) are extracted with this pump.

To see fabulous photos of spawning land crabs, visit Bob Montanaro’s recent post.