Male Imperial Moth antenna detail

Images made through a microscope. All subject types.

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Olympusman
Posts: 5066
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:31 pm

Male Imperial Moth antenna detail

Post by Olympusman »

Since I've been tuning up the optics on my main scope I have been revisiting my old slides in preparation for Bioscapes.
Many of slides a made a few months ago or years ago have disintegrated under Canada balsam. For example, I had a stellar slide of Pirate Spider spiderlings, but their abdomens have since dissolved since my initial photography. I have another mountant I want to get to (CoverBond Mounting Media).
Anyhow, here is a detail of a Male Imperial Spider antenna. Notice the combs on each side of the side are not symmetrical. Reportedly, these guys can detect a Babe Imperial Moth from five miles away.
Darkfield, Swift M-3300 Trinocular, Swift 4X 0.10 160/.17 Olympus E-420 OM 50mm f1.8 relay lens. Stacked in Zerene PMAX from 169 shots.

Image
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Great image!

The lack of symmetry is interesting, but I'm not sure how much of it is anatomical and how much is due to the mounting. It seems like on both sides each "tooth" of the comb is split in a similar manner, but for some reason the ones on the left have separated farther.

I'm wondering if perhaps a minor difference in anatomy -- amount of curvature, for example -- was amplified by flat mounting to produce the big difference we see here.

Or are you looking at some other feature?

--Rik

Jacek
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Location: Poland

Post by Jacek »

very nice

Olympusman
Posts: 5066
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2012 12:31 pm

Imperial Moth

Post by Olympusman »

I think the difference between the two sides might be some kind of eqilibrium factor for navigation -- somehting like a cat's whiskers. I have both antennae from my speciment and they both show the same morphology.
Any lepidopterists on board?
Michael Reese Much FRMS EMS Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA

RogelioMoreno
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Post by RogelioMoreno »

Nice image!

Rogelio

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