Cyclops sp musculature

gpmatthews · Post by **gpmatthews** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 9:06 am

Single unstacked shot

Sample prepared by fixing in 5% formalin, washing with 10% glycerine, dehydration with isopropanol (4 changes) and then mounting in clear epoxy resin.

Zeiss Standard Microscope
Ocular: Zeiss KPL-W 10/18
Objective: Leitz 16/0.45 ICT
Substage: Leitz ICT 0.9NA
Specimen from Warnham Local Nature Reserve, March 2014

Image processed to remove slight vignetting, which tends to occur with the x16 Leitz objective.

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:00 am

Hindpool · Post by **Hindpool** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 10:27 am

Graham - that's a very fine single-shot anatomical portrait of a nicely mounted Cyclops. I like the slight bas-relief effect and presume that it comes from a degree of oblique illumination?

gpmatthews · Post by **gpmatthews** » Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:50 pm

The relief effect is due to using differential interference contrast (Leitz designation is ICT), rather than oblique illumination. This specimen was prepared as part of trying to develop methods of using clear epoxy as a mountant - working from scratch, really, as I am not proficient at mounting at all.