First attempts at 10X, Nikon CFI60 on Canon tele

[papilio]

It's pretty nice having images like these filling the sensor now instead of being just low-res detail crops.

100% pixel views available as the flickr Original size.



Dicranocephalus wallichi bourgoini, scarab




Acroncinus longimanus, Harlequin longhorn beetle
Tarsal claw



Antenna joint



What are these setae doing beneath the exoskeleton?








3.5X, MP-E macro


Apologies for the filthy subject matter here, very old specimens.
_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28

[rjlittlefield]

[papilio]

[Bathcat]

Beetles do not molt, as Rik said, but I have found that there can be considerable amounts of grease suspended on the surface of the exoskeleton of my pinned specimens. As the "surface" in those pics seems to have no microsculpture, I'm thinking it might be regular body fat that has leached out and settled on the surface of the specimen.

To clean them up, improve the color, and free identifying setae on mine, I put the pinned specimens on a small piece of balsa wood and then suspend that upside down in small metal cans originally intended for car polish or paint, about 2/3rds full of acetone or ethyl acetate. Give it about three days in there (I set mine on the porch as both of these chemicals are health hazards), and change out the solvent as it turns brownish (sometimes this takes several rounds of different specimens). Acetone is easily found at most car parts stores, along with those clean metal cans. Avoid using plastic containers, especially with ethyl acetate, as it will dissolve them, give you at best a distinctly plasticky new coating to your pinned insects, and at worst a potential firebomb.

edit: to clarify, beetles do not molt in the adult stage of life, as a spider, bug, cockroach, or other arthropod with incomplete metamorphosis would. If something on the net is saying beetles molt, I assume that's in reference to the self extrusion they perform to escape their pupal cases.

[papilio]

Thanks Bathcat! I find that quite remarkable about the appearance being caused by grease leaching out, it certainly would account for the lacquer-like appearance. I've just never seen my insects this close before! The complete lack of microsculpture pretty much clinches it. Interesting look though, quite pretty I thought.

I appreciate especially the cleaning instructions! I've used acetone quite a bit in other work, fascinating that it would clean my specimens up ... something which I've been meaning to inquire about on the forum, so thank you.

I collected insects up through high school, that was my primary passion at the time so I certainly should have known better ... rather than taking the word of Wikianswers which stated simply "Do beetles molt? Yes they do." Good grief, rather embarassing ... I just figured that was another one of those facts about which I'd been wrong all my life. lol


[Edit] Bathcat, do you mean that the specimens should be suspended in the space above the surface of the acetone or submersed? Thanks!
_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28

[Bathcat]

Stick the bugs on the underside of the balsa wood, so they're submerged below the surface of the acetone. I put headless insect pins in the top of the balsa float to easily pull it back out.

And no problem! If I can help a few people with my narrow experience, it's a small trade off for the plethora of questions I've asked and will continue to ask about optics in general

[papilio]

Great, thanks again Bathcat!
_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28

[rjlittlefield]

[papilio]

Haha! Thanks Rik.

That'll teach me to take the word of a Stupid little genius.
_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28

[Bathcat]

Reminds me of certain places I've worked. If they'll just answer with confidence, well, they must be the expert

[NikonUser]

There are at least 2 questions here. The answer depends on which is asked. If I was asked "Do beetles moult" I would answer, "Yes, all insects moult".
If the question was "Do adult beetles, the imagines, moult" the answer would be "No".
Worth remembering that an immature beetle, ie., egg, larva, pupa, is still a beetle; and so to be clear one would have to specify which stage of the insect is being considered.
_________________
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

[papilio]

You're correct of course NU.

And I'd like to believe that Mr. little genius on Wikianswers just failed to make that distinction ... but I wouldn't push it.


_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28

[rjlittlefield]

I was actually OK with the part about beetles molting, especially if it had been clarified that only the immatures molt.

Where I lost patience with wiki.answers was at "Beetles are bugs which have 6 legs, 2 body segments and a wing case if you see a bug which has all of these it means that you have found yourselves a rolypoly which are beetles."

The odd thing is that these "supervisors" actually seem to have real identities. If you go to the wiki.answers page and click the link for "Google profile", you'll be taken to a page that provides a lot more information.

--Rik

[papilio]

I quite agree, Rik -- I had only assumed that I must somehow have been reading out of context, but that statement is beyond absurd! lol

So she appears to be quite young, not sure whether that should be an excuse ...
_________________
-- Michael


My flickr

Nikon D800E, Sigma 150mmOS Apo, Canon MP-E65, Mitutoyo Plan Apo 10X/NA0.28