Male Imperial Moth antenna detail

Olympusman · Post by **Olympusman** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:24 am

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.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Mon Sep 02, 2013 11:35 am

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 · Post by **Jacek** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 6:48 am

very nice

Olympusman · Post by **Olympusman** » Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:18 am

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?

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Wed Sep 04, 2013 6:23 am

Nice image!

Rogelio