Leitz Ortholux microscope
4X Leitz projection eyepiece plus 1/3x relay lens
Image 1- Leitz 4X Plan Fluorite, 46 images at .001" increments.
Image 2- Leitz 4X Plan Fluorite, 58 images at .001" increments.
Live subjects before spider killed the fly.
Plastic cell.
Diffused Fiber Optic illumination
Canon 50D
Zerene PMax and Photoshop processing.
Some additional images from an ongoing study on the feeding process of the spiders. Live food is being provided to live spiders in controlled conditions under the microscope.
The big desire is capturing the mouth action which has proved exceptionally difficult. During the feeding process the fly’s legs would continue twitching around. This made getting a good stack impossible. I am curious as to whether the muscular movements are because the poor fly is still alive or its internal nervous system is being affected by the digestive fluids being injected into it. For the fly’s sake I would hope it was the later.
The spider actively feeding here is a young Lynx, same as in Part 1 but with a new meal, another live male Drosophila melanogaster fly. Again imaged here shortly after the strike of the spider and in the ensuing half hour.
Walt