Metallic Beetles

svalley · Post by **svalley** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 10:13 am

Metallic and shiny beetles are always a challenge.

Leica MZ16 stereomicroscope w/extended depth of field imaging system

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 11:26 am

Indeed they are and what a colorful threesome!

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 12:14 pm

WOW! Awesome!

Doug would be delighted!

Bruce Williams · Post by **Bruce Williams** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 4:53 pm

Hi Steve,

Great photos as always. I notice the blue individual is showing an extension of some type behind the wing cases - is that significant in any way?

I have read that larvae have been known to take up to 30 years (one website says 50!) to complete their development within the wood (normally 2 to 3 years) - can that really be true?

Bruce

MacroLuv · Post by **MacroLuv** » Sun Jan 07, 2007 6:13 pm

The place behind where thorax connecting wings looks a little bit differently shaped in case of middle one.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:33 pm

Wonderful picture Steve. I love Metallic Woodboring Beetles. Were these pinned and you photoshopped the pins out? Sometimes the underside is more Spectacular than the top.

svalley · Post by **svalley** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:56 am

Thnaks for your comments, guys.

Bruce: I think that is a female. I have noticed that the last segment of the abdomen extends beyond the elytra in many Buprestid females and in general their bodies are a bit wider and rounder. I am not very knowledgeable about Buprestids or beetles for that matter, my specialty is the Odonates. I will ask our Bup expert if there is any easy way to tell the sexes apart and about the longevity of the larvae. That is one of the cool things about my job, I am learning new things about insect groups that I have ignored for most of my life.

Nikola: I do not know whether that is a slight morphological difference or just a difference in the positioning of the specimen when it was mounted. When I look for specimens to shoot, I notice that many are positioned differently especially with regards to the divisions between the head, thorax and abdomen. These are mainly due to the way each one dried after it was pinned.

Doug: Almost everything I shoot is pinned, so I have to photoshop the pins out. You are right, the ventral sides can be pretty spectacular and often contrast with the dorsal colors. The top of the abdomen under the wings can also be very colorful.

I am working on a project right now to photograph most of the Buprestids and Cerambicids of western North America.

beetleman · Post by **beetleman** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:59 pm

Is the project your working on now for the DOA? What a dream job...Insects and photography

svalley · Post by **svalley** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 6:36 pm

Doug, actually it is ODA. Yes, we are producing a screening aid to help non-taxonimists ID trap samples, in a project funded by the Forest Service and Oregon State University.

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 11:51 pm

Very nice indeed! I find these here in our WA state forests... but have not seen the "blue" version (on the right) before. Great lighting and execution all the way around.