EDIT

    $representationPart = new stdClass();

    $attributes = array();

    if (isset($media[0]->representations[0]->parts[0])) {

      $representationPart = $media[0]->representations[0]->parts[0];

      $attributes['alt'] = $representationPart->uri;

      if(!empty($taxon_profile_image_settings['media_uri_query'])){

        $representationPart->uri = $representationPart->uri

            . (strpos($representationPart->uri, '?') !== FALSE ? '&' : '?')

            . $taxon_profile_image_settings['media_uri_query'];

      }

    }

    else {

      // show placeholder image instead

      if(!empty($taxon_profile_image_settings['custom_placeholder_image_on']) && !empty($taxon_profile_image_settings['custom_placeholder_image_fid'])){

        // use the user provided image

        $profile_image_file = file_load($taxon_profile_image_settings['custom_placeholder_image_fid']);

        $url = file_create_url($profile_image_file->uri);

        $image_info = image_get_info($profile_image_file->uri);

        $representationPart->width = $image_info['width'];

        $representationPart->height = $image_info['height'];

        $representationPart->uri = $url;

      } else {

        // use the hard coded default

        $representationPart->width = 184;

        $representationPart->height = 144;

        $representationPart->uri = base_path() .  drupal_get_path('module', 'cdm_dataportal') . '/images/no_picture.png';

      }

      $attributes['alt'] = "no image available";

    }

    $profile_image = theme('cdm_media_gallerie_image', array(

        'mediaRepresentationPart' => $representationPart,

        'maxExtend' => $taxon_profile_image_settings['maxextend'],

        'addPassePartout' => FALSE,

        'attributes' => $attributes,

    ));

    $out .= '<div id="taxonProfileImage">' . $profile_image. '</div>';