Biollantefan54's Bug-Hunt Thread (PIC HEAVY)

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Some diatoms and bacteria at 1000x. The bacteria take a lot of processing to see any “detail”. Heavily cropped even at 1000x with 1.5x in camera crop, sharpened using a high pass filter and overlay blend mode in photoshop, denoised using topaz denoise, and then levels adjustments. I still enjoy taking them just because it’s the smallest thing I’m able to really resolve. DFFE63BE-1BDD-418A-BB63-835CB40BC605.jpeg 06B38C11-8E8E-47FC-B9C0-19C628619059.jpeg BDC96165-C0F9-4AF9-8E82-B01473222594.jpeg 1591C70E-9047-42D5-BA3E-33447F27C8F0.jpeg 19B0E243-6838-419B-BD75-77746931EE63.jpeg F1723E14-5B05-44CF-879D-CEB3FD0C793E.jpeg 2842826E-8BA7-490F-8E63-5AEE72AA7F34.jpeg DBBB0EE0-0981-412B-A1F8-196B9C975144.jpeg 44755016-75B0-4215-84EF-838593B50FAB.jpeg 15F5C9D9-DDF3-49E4-8485-299830BD478A.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
I played around with my microscope and was able to get my best images yet of bacteria. The flagella are clearly visible in many of the images! 58C20C3F-13A8-4965-9992-3D66E4D640F3.jpeg 91D8699B-C01D-4187-9464-3CE5CBD4507A.jpeg F9231AE2-A4F1-4ADF-B7B2-2339F2A15C7E.jpeg 95F3EFD9-650F-454A-BE76-396DAD20F927.jpeg C20FD552-C0F9-4DEB-8396-189102DF0F1C.jpeg E151E922-F17F-4F2D-AFBF-EDE639F702F1.jpeg 9AB2AFBB-24D6-4553-AF93-9605F7FA7A34.jpeg B6319360-C98C-4C52-84A6-9EAD9B5CAE21.jpeg D9AC36AA-5F08-469E-A62A-9B68BEF48C7E.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Had to get back to the main point of the thread, bug hunting! I was outside the other day and noticed all the weeds blooming and all the flies and bees, and I got an urge to get my camera out and my twin flash attached to arms on my camera and get out and image again. I haven’t actually used this in a while, due to not being motivated and also it being winter, I’ve been focusing on astro more than macro for a while too. That said, it was really fun doing it and trying to get a good shot at 5x while trying to slow my breathing and shoot in between my heart beats lol! Here are a couple of images I’ve taken, some weevils, a rove beetle, one of my favorite bugs, a pseudoscorpion, my favorite springtail here; Vitronura giselae, and then an oribatid mite, as well as the same kind of mite but from 2016, to show my progress :) 852480D7-969E-42B4-B73D-5D82A652E1C4.jpeg 0020E438-9DEC-4ECC-A543-167BA3CEB7F5.jpeg
525D604A-B5D2-49F0-B06E-7A66418C5430.jpeg C64EA2DF-71BB-4A38-87BA-68C6BC89D808.jpeg 44339A8B-0AD5-4284-9636-8EF40C287005.jpeg 9788C1F2-ADE5-4B59-90CA-80AB8DADF7FD.jpeg 46AE1879-A296-453C-ADB3-F1CFF03FC06E.jpeg 8F5DFC4C-5C0A-48B5-8B73-BA8F709B02FE.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
was able to go out last night and get some more images. I really like how these turned out, I had a lot of time watching the little mites under the boards I looked under. I forgot how much I enjoy looking for these little bugs! Also I can’t say it enough how difficult the mites in the fourth picture are to photograph. Extremely tiny, and non stop movements 2E0D83E0-927B-4AD9-831D-D9561788C8F7.jpeg 706FAF64-D20B-4557-B854-1A3129A61232.jpeg 29B25E3B-5068-45E0-A49D-9B6F3A9D1BAF.jpeg 22DC03B7-71DA-4163-9BAE-04420C1C1E88.jpeg 2D0D4E87-0590-4786-9033-CF5CDA05D430.jpeg EC92A65A-62A6-4D69-8C04-AFF10094CBD0.jpeg 7782C1B8-76FE-448F-9120-32E92891A9FB.jpeg F5FFF841-5E16-43D7-BC04-8040FED722C6.jpeg A608613F-9F86-497D-9A47-C3AF1CFB4591.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
A few more from yesterday. A spider in the family Phrurolithidae, a mite in the superfamily Eupodoidea, a mystery bug, and larvae of some insect. ABCA729E-2399-44B9-ACAD-C97D041E1C8C.jpeg 05177F46-94C4-4EE1-A7DE-677C9FA8BF47.jpeg 57607C94-39BF-483C-92C0-6863C4012FDD.jpeg 035A78F2-A6CA-407A-AF20-A06B37C54AE8.jpeg C8E4D083-8FDC-4B1F-9A7A-0F08AD1B48C7.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Thank y’all!! I’m glad people enjoy seeing them as much as I love photographing them. Tonight I’ll hopefully get some more images! Here are some shots I got the last couple of days.
A baby stone centipede
04171124-2568-4FF4-BCCF-03EA628A5706.jpeg
a springtail underneath a leaf with little yellow fungus
EFCABCB3-A362-42FA-9285-A9FB04313841.jpeg
an oribatid mite with a springtail hitchhiker F84BE0D0-B675-4CC6-B3FD-6C6EB5B61F72.jpeg
A termite soldier
F5C1637F-7F98-4348-899E-DE8DB45A3AD8.jpeg
and an iridescent springtail with more tiny fungus
990CABAC-CFD5-4DED-8F00-80BCA70B424E.jpeg
 

Attachments

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Finally found something I’ve been looking for for months now!! I found… a Demodex mite. The ones that lives on everyone’s faces! I found this one by sticking a piece of tape to my forehead and then putting a hat on to keep it dark. After about 30-40 minutes I pulled it off and looked at it under the microscope. I was able to find one mite. The next part was the most difficult part of the process. I carefully used a needle to pull the mite off the tape, and then put it on a new slide. Really happy to have seen our little mite friends. Image cropped from 400x A2C23E7E-DF8D-4B2E-A7B8-B6CE540CA6AB.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
I found a bunch of isopods with Iridovirus and made a video and CNN made a short article about it! They included two images I took as well. Watch here!
083450A4-138D-4AF6-B31A-E6D99973D30E.jpeg 6F4B595F-2EE9-4006-97DC-318520D5B37B.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
I found the coolest spider yet. I’ve been searching for these for over 6 years. First time I’ve ever seen them in the wild. Points if you recognize it! E5E42F6F-EC67-4D6C-8F84-F8C9D8688CE0.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Feel like I am blind... where's the spider?
It’s the tube web in the middle, I went back today and found more! These are purseweb spiders, most likely Sphodros rufipes. They are mygalomorphs related to trapdoor spiders and tarantulas. Super cool spiders! IMG_6023.jpeg IMG_6022.jpeg IMG_6020.jpeg IMG_6019.jpeg IMG_6018.jpeg IMG_6026.jpeg
 

Edub

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 5, 2023
Messages
24
Ah now I get it! Yeah we have a purseweb spider in Sweden too, Atypus affinis. Our only mygalomorph.
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Here are some new images, glad to find some cool bugs outside again!
A roach I assume is native to NC 52923920384_9e8f547729_o.jpeg
Ladybug in curled leaf 52923181967_db1f8ce18c_o.jpeg
Baby camel cricket 52924154060_2b6e1da1bf_o.jpeg
Male mosquito 52924166925_e5d4c45518_o.jpeg
Red carpenter ant 52924166920_47ac60652f_o.jpeg
Baby orb weaver 52924168685_6bc6f37da0_o.jpeg
Baby green lynx spider 52921462365_61c09f56be_o.jpeg
Hoverfly 52921076966_6a428e93f3_o.jpeg
Crab spider on grass 52918012647_954aa5c7c0_o.jpeg 52918012667_d70eff13f0_o.jpeg
 

Biollantefan54

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 3, 2012
Messages
2,248
Updating this thread because it’s been a bit and I have a lot of new photos. The springtail is Vitronura giselae, I find them easily but have not had luck culturing they. If anyone knows how I’d appreciate the info! 52936414350_9316ba3bc4_o.jpeg 52936468368_21f63c2240_o.jpeg 52936018421_25d028014d_o.jpeg 52935423512_0e575be3bf_o.jpeg 52935423187_28059cca06_o.jpeg 52941984993_aca3d9580a_o.jpeg 52941671419_c71dcc9dcb_o.jpeg 52941672444_f35d007836_o.jpeg 52941987903_dd6bba3797_o.jpeg
 
Top