Galveston, Texas, 2024

We are collecting bigclaw snapping shrimp (Alpheus heterochaelis) in the osyter restoration reefs around Galveston, TX. Snapping shrimp exhibit dramatic claw asymmetry. Upon injury, immobilization, or removal, these shrimp display the dynamic ability to reconfigure their non-pistol pincer claw into the specialized pistol morphology while the pistol will regenerate as a smaller pincer claw. We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanism by which this plastic claw morphology is controlled as a new model system for tissue plasticity, target morphology, animal asymmetry, and neural regulation of morphogenesis. The collections are a collaboration with Dr. Marc Hanke (UH) and the Galveston Bay Foundation.