Wood tick

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Wood tick

Post by Troels »

Outside everything is covered with snow and ice.
It is time for exploring the content of the freezer.

In a little jar I found this Ixodes (probably ricinus) from last summer.
The real challenge was to mount it on a piece of grass.

Image

When alive the animal would cover its sucking apparatus (the proboscus) with the two darks shells (palps), untill it should be used. But here we get a glimpse of the barbs on the proboscus.

Troels
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

abpho
Posts: 1524
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:11 pm
Location: Earth

Post by abpho »

Nice work. Those are nasty little creatures. As a dog owner I am always worried about ticks and lime disease.
I'm in Canada! Isn't that weird?

banania
Posts: 152
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:01 am

Post by banania »

Nice, how did you manage the mounting?

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Post by Troels »

Thanks

I feared the mounting would be very difficult, including messing with glue and tiny needles. Fortunately the creature was surprisingly cooperative. Before it took its last breath it curled its leg inwards creating a nice little tunnel along the ventral side.

First I straightened the first pair of legs somewhat out to simulate its natural attitude. Then I found a piece of grass with round "stem" and grabbed it with a pair of tweezers. Then I turned the animal on its back, fixed it with another pair of tweezers and deliberately pushed the gras stem through the tunnel between the curled inward legs.

I could never have done this without the use of a stereomicroscope at 20x.

Then I could push the animal along the gras to a thicker part of the stem where the animal would cling to the grass by its own resistance and fix the upper end of the gras to a little horizontal bar.

I would never have managed to manipulate its tiny legs into something like a normal walking position.

Troels
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Post by Troels »

Reading my own last comment I felt a little stupid talking about details not visible in the picture.

So here comes one more (and in my own opinion better) picture of the much hated animal showing the way I mounted it on the straw. I was tempted to delete the first picture, but since the proboscis in that case is more visible I will leave it.
Image
Bigger on Flickr

And as a bonus I offer a stereo version:
Image

Troels
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

Saul
Posts: 1780
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 11:59 am
Location: Naperville, IL USA
Contact:

Post by Saul »

Nice stereo, great result
Saul
μ-stuff

ChrisR
Site Admin
Posts: 8662
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:58 am
Location: Near London, UK

Post by ChrisR »

Yes, I prefer that angle too. Stereo works well!
Chris R

MiB
Posts: 73
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2012 8:59 am
Location: Vienna
Contact:

Post by MiB »

Wow... Amazing photo - congratulations!! :)

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Post by Troels »

Thanks to all!
I appreciate it.

Troels
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

davholla
Posts: 181
Joined: Tue Apr 26, 2016 4:05 am

Post by davholla »

Very nice photos of an unusual subject.

markd
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:47 pm

Post by markd »

Is there some standard way to stereo view these stereo images?

Nice shot, though I instantly recognized that beast as dead and a bit dessicated. I get ticks almost every day off my dog and often watch them alive under the stereo. At peak season I've pulled dozens of tiny babies off the dog and arranged them into a decorative army on a slide. I even once pulled one off myself that had attached and was a bit engorged -- yuk!

abpho
Posts: 1524
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2011 7:11 pm
Location: Earth

Post by abpho »

I hope none were carrying Lyme disease. That stuff will mess you up for life.
I'm in Canada! Isn't that weird?

Troels
Posts: 600
Joined: Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:06 am
Location: Denmark, Engesvang
Contact:

Post by Troels »

markd wrote:
I instantly recognized that beast as dead and a bit dessicated
You are certainly right, but if you conclude from the strange appearence of the "eyes", you are on the wrong path.

This animal has no (visible) eyes. The strange structure of the areas where the eyes are supposed to be has other functions which I don't know. But they have the same appearence in the fresh animal.
Is there some standard way to stereo view these stereo images?
For most people it requires some practice. Some never get the knack of it.
My advise for starters would be:

1) Try to move your nose close to the screen so the picture is impossible to focus at. Move your head slowly backwards while trying to focus . You wil se several blurred pictures. As the distance slowly grows you will reach a point where you see three focused pictures side by side. Koncentrate on the central picture and try to forget the two others. Try to focus a different parts of this picture. If you succeed you will experience the 3D effect.

2) The two pictures should not appear too big: If you use a big a screen (with low resolution), try to move a little backwards. Narrower pictures are easier than wide ones.

3) It is easier if there is a distinct border between the two pictures.

This is for cross eyed viewing only.
If you have stereo cards made for viewing in a stereo viewer this will not work. In the cross eyed version the left and right pictures are switched.

Troels
Troels Holm, biologist (retired), environmentalist, amateur photographer.
Visit my Flickr albums

markd
Posts: 26
Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:47 pm

Post by markd »

No, it wasn't the eyes. It was an analytical conclusion at all. Just immediate instinct, because I've looked at so many live ticks.

Thanks for the stereo tip. No luck on first try, but I'll try more.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic