Hello, I'm a long time forum member but only occasional poster. Always enjoy reading everyone's great info and seeing the wonderful images. Now that I'm retired with more time maybe I will post photos more often. This post piqued my interest! I just thought I would clear up the not unexpected assump...

Hello Rawnboling, I don't exactly know how the spider/s got into your apartment, but the specimen you show appears to be a juvenile "Flatmesh Weaver" belonging to Oecobiidae family. Though normally found in more southerly parts of North America ( only eight species north of Mexico) they can be found...

Carmen,

I might suggest checking out "LumeCube" led lights. They are small, have ten brightness settings and at max power I believe they produce 1500 lumens.

Full power lasts about 20-30 minutes but at lower settings a fair bit longer.

Cheers,
caddo

If it is not too late, I would be interested in the Mitutoyo FS50 scope.
What are you asking for it?

Thanks,
caddo

Nice image! I still enjoy single field photos.
I believe the "little guy" is a thrip on a sawfly larvae. Maybe others can verify?

Caddo

After seeing a recent posting of a very similar view of a Woodlouse spider (Dysdera crocata) I thought I would share my version of one of my favorite spiders. These spiders are quite widespread in the USA but are an introduced species from Europe long ago. Just as many of the "woodlice" they are spe...

Hello Ultima_Gaina, Wow! When I first clicked on your post and the photo appeared I thought.....that's my photo! I recently shot an almost identical view plus dorsal and ventral views. Your first test came out well with one item which may or may not be just my taste in colors. Unless you were going ...

Nice, interesting images as always Paul. I especially like the anole and scolopendra, very nice! Thought I'd pass on a comment for the image labeled "orange huntsman spider with frog prey" (Huntsman=Sprassidae). To me the eye pattern, position and relative front leg lengths and abdomen shape identif...

I forgot to add this little tid-bit about my photo. While preparing the hypostome set-up to focus stack using my dissecting scope, I noticed a small ring of MY SKIN ripped off when I removed the tick from my leg! Used a .2mm minuten pin under scope to remove. Fun stuff!!! Thanks again for looking. C...

Yes, as Rik mentioned there is a kind of "cementing" in addition to the physical holding of the hypostome (at least in some ticks) and at end of feeding some type of dissolving of immediate tissue loosens the physical extraction process. That is what an acarologist friend of mine described to me. Ot...

I didn't realize how and why a deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) is so difficult to remove till I observed and photographed a specimen.

This image of the hypostome of a female deer tick shows why!

Caddo

I'm doing something wrong.....photos not getting posted!
Hope this works.

Caddo

Yes, it is a larvae, not the pupae.
Here is another image, dorsal view, Mitutoyo 20x.

Caddo

To follow up my previous post, here are detailed images of the fly larvae which live in the galls.
Mitutoyo 20x

Caddo

Having an expert mycologist friend helps getting occasional interesting subjects to photograph. These images show a fungus (Pseudochaete olivacae) found on a small twig and rarely seen/known insect galls. The small red Cecidomyiidae fly larvae has exited a gall. I have twice tried to culture the lar...