Unusual insects ...part II

My old thread died, most images disappeared with huge help of image hosting service This is the reason why I'll start a new thread, with images of different insects and other invertebrates (maybe few vertebrate macro shots will be also added here). I'll try to upload arachnids to this thread.

Most of the animals you will find here, where photographed be me or my wife (or both by us) in Poland or during our trips around Europe. There will be also pictures with more exotic species - our pets or inverts we have seen in Asia.

I'll upload pictures that were taken just a few days ago and these made a few years ago. During that time we changes our gear many times. From Nikon D70s, through D200, D300s to D700. The funniest thing is, that we use all of our cameras to this day (D70s mostly for IR photos). We also used many different lenses, and some are still being used: Nikkor Micro 105/2.8D, Nikkor Micro 60/2.8D, Nikkor Micro PC 85/2.8D, reversed Takumar 28/2.8 (Pentax mount), Takumar MC 50/4, Industar-61L/Z 50/2.8, microscope lenses ect. Extension tubes, speedlights, diffusers, pieces of aluminium foil or white paper (to bounce the light), CPL filters are our additional accessories.


1. Cimbex sp. sawfly larva.


2. Prionus coriarius (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)


3. Sciomyzidae fly.


4. Tychius quinquepunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).


5. Therea petiveriana


6. Hierodula membranacea


7. Final molt of Blaberus sp.


8. Silpha sp. (Coleoptera: Silphidae)


9. Colydium elongatum (Coleoptera: Colydiidae)


10. Lilioceris lilii (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Gorgeous pictures! :clap: I love the mantis one. It was almost like it was saying, "Woah, dude, out of my face! What part of 'personal space' don't you humans understand?" LOL Great pictures.

Wow, awesome photos! Great pic of the Prionus!

pannaking22 said:

Wow, awesome photos! Great pic of the Prionus!

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Thanks. This species is very common in my area.

5 more, mostly weevils...


11. Blaberus sp., right after the final molt.


12. Curculio glandium (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).


13. Melolontha melolontha (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae)


14. Cionus tuberculosus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)


15. Strophosoma capitatum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

MAN you take awesome photos.

anyways:


^ Robberfly, Efferia sp. Male


^ Male velvet ant. genus/species unknown, but probably a dasymutilla.


^ Antlion.. Brachynemurus sp

Nice specimens. I found Asilids in my area very often. Antlions are more difficult to find but velvet ants are really, really rare.


16. Unknown Asilidae


17. Myrmeleon formicarius


18. Mutilla europaea, female


19. Phausius splendidula (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), female


20. Eyes of the syrphid fly


21. Glomeris cf. pustulata

This time, mostly yellow animals...


22. Polistes sp.


23. Calliteara pudibunda


24. Rhogogaster cf viridis


25. Porcellio scaber - isopod

man i want a new camera. gorgeous pics! thanks for sharing!

Thanks

Akai said:

man i want a new camera. (...)

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I think the most important things are: good lens and the light. Just few weeks ago I took my first DSLR camera, Nikon D70s (10 years old, 6.3 Mpx CCD sensor) and much older, soviet lens Industar 50/2.8 with the cheapest M42 extension tubes. With huge help of two speedlights, I was able to take good shoots even without light metering in my camera. Few samples:


26. Sympetrum sanguineum, female.


27. Catoptria pinella


28. Tachinid fly


29. Lagria cf. hirta (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)


30. Leafhopper larva

Do you use a manfrotto rail or similar attachment on your tripod to get these sort of tight macro shots?? The quality is stunning.

Akai said:

Do you use a manfrotto rail or similar attachment on your tripod to get these sort of tight macro shots?? The quality is stunning.

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Thanks

No. 99% of my pictures were taken without any tripod. I've got Manfrotto 055xprob with 322RC2 tripod head. I'm using it only for shots with natural light and it is very rare situation (I do more landscape shots with this equipment).

D700 and D300s have big viewfinders so it is not so difficult to get eyes of the insect/spider in the DOF. It is much more difficult when reversed lenses are being used. There is so little light, that sometimes I need a bit of luck to take sharp, not "out of focus" shot.


31. Curculio glandium (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) - this is a nice example how reversed wide-angle lens works. Picture taken with Takumar 28/2.8 on extension tubes. Beetle is only 10 mm long, image wasn't cropped.


32. Spondylis buprestoides (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)


33. Lasiocampidae moth


34. Enallagma cyathigerum


35. Myrmeleon formicarius larva

you have steady hands taking macros of insects out in the field without a tripod. the best thing to happen to macro photography is digital cameras where you can take multiple shots of a subject and you can pick and choose the ones you like. i honestly don't know how they did it the old days. do you use a light ring on your macro lenses?

Great photos!
35. Myrmeleon formicarius larva
Good job getting that one, the antlion larva are fascinating imo. I get a bunch making their pit-traps in the dry earth/sand near my shed every spring/summer.

Thank you

Akai said:

you have steady hands taking macros of insects out in the field without a tripod. the best thing to happen to macro photography is digital cameras where you can take multiple shots of a subject and you can pick and choose the ones you like. i honestly don't know how they did it the old days.

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Yes, I have the same feeling. Many years ago I tried to take macro shots with Nikon F65 and F2, but I was getting only 1-2 sharp shots out of 36.

Akai said:

do you use a light ring on your macro lenses?

Click to expand...

No. At the beginning (with D70s) I've been using only built-in flash with home-made diffuser (made of paper, aluminium foil ect.). Later, I bought SB-800 and used it as main source of light (D70s wasn't able to control this lamp in CLS mode). When I bought D200, I was able to use two lamps - built-in as "master" and SB-800 as "slave". Now I'm using two SB-910 lamps in "slave" mode. It makes my equipment heavy

This is my field setup, when taking pictures in home, I don't use diffusers but bounce the light from white walls and ceiling

36. Cionus hortulanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)


37. Lymantria dispar, male.


38. Young Tettigonidae nymph in the mornin


39. Liparus glabirostris (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)


40. Deilephila elpenor. This one was shot with my friend's Sony Alpha A700 and Soligor 100/3.5

Five snapshots...


41. Solitary bee. Picture taken with Trioplan 100/2.8. I love this lens for fantastic bokeh.


42. Phausis splendidula (Coleoptera: Lampyridae), mating.


43. Female of earwig (Forficula sp.) protecting her eggs.


44. Anoplius cf viaticus vs Trochosa sp. wolf spider.


45. First vertebrate in this thread... but really, really small. Rana arvalis - moor frog hiding in the moss.

46. Hylobius abietis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).


47. Cybister lateralimarginalis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)


48. Phyllobius sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)


49. Tabanus sp. (Diptera: Tabanidae)


50. Rhagium mordax (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)

Great pics! I love the cerambycid in flight. Out of curiosity, have you gotten any pictures of buprestids?

pannaking22 said:

Great pics! I love the cerambycid in flight. Out of curiosity, have you gotten any pictures of buprestids?

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Thanks.
This family is not very common in my area. I've got only a few shots with more popular species.


51. Agrilus sp.


52. Agrilus sp.


53. Probably larva of Chalcophora mariana


54. Anthaxia sp.


55. Trachys minuta

Beautiful, those Agrilus pictures look great. Definitely the most diverse genus! I'm guessing you're IDing the larva as Chalcophora based on size?