These photos are of larvae collected from the plankton in front of the FHL.  They were subsequently extracted for DNA that as amplified for a part of the COI gene (cytochrome oxidase I subunit).  The COI nucleotide sequence of each larvae was compared with a data base of known species to identify the larva to genus and species.  The 2019 Larval Biology course started this effort by collecting, photographing larvae, and preserving the larvae individually. These samples were processed by a team at the Smithsonian’s Department of Invertebrate Zoology who determined the sequences and initial taxonomy characterization.