Brachycera Dolichopodidae in amber

mortenoen · Post by **mortenoen** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 8:19 am

I have finally reached a technical level on my amber photography, that now is only limited by the optical quality of the amber itself. It turns out there is no lens or technique that solve all problems with this rather complicated subject matter, but I have made some sort of formula that helps a lot. It's a combination of geometry, refractive index, optics and distance, individually adjusted from piece to piece. Size and depth of the inclusion are the most vital factors. Those number tells me what lens, sensor size camera, immersion fluid and working distance that is optimal. For my latest progress go to my blog http://mortenoen.blogspot.no
There are so many factors to consider in each image, that a book on the subject would be needed, but I can answer questions if you have any

I now polish my own raw amber, because the ones you buy are often grinded down to much, so the inclusion is damaged. I never grind down the amber because of the risk of damage. Optical sollution is best, if you do it properly.

I took this image a couple of weeks ago to test out my new theory. Thought the inclusion could be funny. Looks like a bummed out party clown, but she is still beautiful

The lens is probably a 5x microscope objective, a manual stack of 60-100 images. Pentax K-01.

[/url]

JH · Post by JH » Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:45 pm

Really nice!
Best regards Jörgen

mortenoen · Post by **mortenoen** » Thu Apr 20, 2017 1:57 pm

Thanks Jörgen! You are my #1 inspiration in this journey!

MarkSturtevant · Post by **MarkSturtevant** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:13 pm

Wow! you are the master of amber!
The fly is a brachyceran, with its short antennae. The wing veins match those of a wide # of fly families like Drosophilidae.

mortenoen · Post by **mortenoen** » Sat Apr 22, 2017 8:31 pm

Thanks a lot, Mark! I'm no good at ID'ing. I use the key in the book "Amber" by Andrew Ross. It's very basic. Fruit fly it is then!

MarkSturtevant · Post by **MarkSturtevant** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:00 am

I don't know if it is a fruit fly, as several other families have this same vein pattern. Tephritidae, Agromyzidae, and so on. Drosophilidae was only an example.
There are various field guides to insects that you can look at. My favorite as it balances good clear pictures with the needed technical details is A Field Guide to the Insects of North America by Borrer & White. It is very good, and you can get a copy for a few dollars on Amazon. Identifying this fly to family may rely on little details like whether a certain wing vein is 'broken', or a pattern of bristles on the back. I promise it will be challenging.

mortenoen · Post by **mortenoen** » Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:14 am

Thanks again Mark for taking of your time and have patience with me. I have ordered the book. I also see that the title of this thread is all wrong. If it was a Dolichopodidae, it would have been an Orthorrhapha, a lesser fly, and not a Brachycera, a higher fly. I'm sorry for this mess.

As the inclusions are 90% dipteras, I think I will concentrate on that. Have to start somewhere.