A well-known turtle researcher who was being honored last week for his lifelong scientific achievements ignited a controversy when he gave a presentation on river turtles that also included revealing photos of women in swimsuits.

The researcher, Richard Vogt, was being recognized as a distinguished herpetologist — a scientist who studies amphibians and reptiles — at an annual meeting of herpetologists and fish scientists in Rochester.

His plenary lecture on Thursday contained photos of men and women doing research in water environments, including a handful of scantily clad women whose torsos were censored with blue boxes, according to several people in attendance. The images were censored by staff at the conference, not Mr. Vogt, who said he was “shocked” and “flustered” during his presentation. One of the women pictured was his wife.

The lecture from Mr. Vogt, who other herpetologists say has a history of behaving inappropriately toward colleagues and using provocative photos in scientific presentations, prompted some in attendance to walk out and was swiftly and vocally criticized within the herpetology community.