Scott Johnson
Our subject matter expert
Scott Johnson grew up in the Marshall Islands and has had a nudibranch addiction since 1976, when he started shooting macro photography in Hawaii and noticed all the different slugs you could see by looking small.
He studied nudibranch population biology and ecology at the University of Hawaii and published, with Hans Bertsch, a small photo book on Hawaiian nudibranchs in 1981. Who would have thought way back then that a nudibranch book would sell?
He spent several years in the early 1980s at the Mid-Pacific Research Laboratory at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands. Concurring with Charles Darwin that "A naturalist's life would be an happy one if he had only to observe and never to write," after the marine lab closed due to lack of funds, he switched careers to remain in the Marshalls. He and his wife Jeanette still live in the Marshalls, and spend much of their time in the water observing.
In addition to Hawaiian Nudibranchs with Hans Bertsch, he has authored another photo book called Living Seashells (1982) and operates the web site www.underwaterkwaj.com, which figures most of the known Marshall Islands opisthobranchs as well as some species from Hawaii and other areas.Scott Johnson has authored or assisted in naming the following species:
- Aldisa pikokai Bertsch & S. Johnson, 1982
- Bornella anguilla S. Johnson, 1984
- Chromodoris galactos Rudman & S. Johnson, 1985
- Halgerda paliensis (Bertsch & S. Johnson, 1982)
- Halgerda terramtuentis Bertsch & S. Johnson, 1982
- Hallaxa albopunctata Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa cryptica Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa elongate Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa hileenae Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa iju Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa michaeli Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa paulinae Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
- Hallaxa translucens Gosliner & S. Johnson, 1994
Scott Johnson has helped Nudi Pixel verifying identification of 279 specimens