Megacephala sp

[Gérard-64]

Rik,here is a picture of an insect of the same family,a few minutes after death: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=12810

[morfa]

similar (but less pronounced) effects

The "cracking" is similar, but the surface of the eye is very much different.

In morfa's example, the ommatidia are still clearly visible as an embossed pattern on the outermost layer.

In Gérard's example (and in my June Beetle), the outermost layer shows no sign of the ommatidia. It is just a smoothly curved surface with small random irregularities.

Indeed, thanks for pointing this out!

By the way I just recalled this image from a friend of mine showing some unusual eye pattern in a living Tiger beetle specimen (photographed in RSA): http://www.flickr.com/photos/59784391@N ... hotostream

Had I seen that type of eye pattern in a prepared specimen I think I would have wrongly assumed it was something that had occured post mortem.

I still believe this is the case in the Megacephala case (and in the June bug) but though it was worth mentioning.