Just by looking at it (without using a key) I would think this is an isopod rather than an amphipod.

You're right; this should be a mosquito pupa. Note the two "horns" which are used for breething air from the water's surface! Nice pictures!

@Baley Proper identification of mites is a very difficult task. The identification requires mounted adult specimen (cleared and prepared on a slide), usually a series. The identification of mite larvae (nymphs) is often impossible. You need the prepared slides to see microscopic details, such as hai...

It's going to be hard to ID these without preparation (and location information and a scale bar). However, from the ecology, I would suppose that these are from one of the many species of red velvet mites (e.g. Balaustium ). http://bugguide.net/node/view/125363 These are a common occurance on buildi...

@Mike You can use xylene if you apply it to a tissue/cotton first as outlined in the references but not directly to the lens. That ensures that seconds after cleaning, the xylene is fully evaporated from the lens, before it attacks the seals or the lens kit @Chris The terminology of petroleum produc...

Hi Mike, Just to re-itterate the point, I have finally found a reference on cleaning older microscope optics. In this instruction booklet for the Leitz Orthoplan http://www.leitz-ortholux.de/pdf/67_anleitung.pdf the company recommended destilled water, petroleum ether or xylene and warns three times...

Hi Mike, From what you have said, this seems to be delamination then (or some other kind of unusual damage - hard to say from the distance, but the concentric rings point towards delamination). Unfortunately, there is very little you can do. There are very few people out there who can dis-assemble t...

If this is indeed immersion oil on the surface of the front lens, you should be able to clean it off. An extensive guide to cleaning microscope lenses is provided here: http://www.icms.qmul.ac.uk/imaging/User%20guides%20for%20microscopes/The%20Clean%20Microscope.pdf This is for modern Zeiss lenses. ...

Hi, The objects from 2004, to me, look like the spores of some kind of parasite (see the thick spore walls), but I don't know what parasite it is. http://www.photomacrography1.net/forum/ ... .php?t=774, first picture

Yes, they are a feature, not a parasite.

Tardigrade coelomocytes are supposed to have a combined blood cell/storage cell function. In this species of tardigarde they are particularly big.

Jon

Bruce Taylor wrote:A wonderful image! The leg muscles are so sharply defined. I wonder...are those eggs, around the perimeter of the creature?

Hi Bruce, Which "eggs" are you thinking of? Or are you talking about the large coelomocytes, here seen above and below the intestine?

Kind regards,

Jon

Hi Linden. Thanks for these explanations. As I said, the results are quite spectacular.

Jon

Excellent shots of this heliozoon!

I am also astonished by the quality of the image. I can't see any colour fringes; is this normal for Olympus Planachromats or have you applied some image processing to remove the fringes?

Kind regards,

Jon