• Home
  • About Alex Wild
  • Articles
  • Galleries
  • Myrmecology News

Myrmecos Blog

the little things matter

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Trouble on the Internet
Friday Beetle Blogging: Cotinus Fig Beetle »

Check this out: ant innards

July 21, 2008 by myrmecos

Oecophylla weaver ants are exceptionally cooperative subjects for photography, allowing for plenty of experimentation with lighting while the ants preen and pose. While developing the photographs from South Africa I discovered that strong backlighting allows a crystal-clear view of the tracheal system:

Oecophylla longinoda, St. Lucia, KZN, South Africa

The tracheae are visible as dark canals running through the body. These connect to the outside air in a series of circular spiracles and are essentially the lungs of the insect, channeling oxygen to the respiring cells and carrying away carbon dioxide. I never though I’d photograph them in a living insect.

photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon 20D
ISO 100, f/11, 1/250 sec
backlight with handheld strobe, 60% crop in PS.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Ants, Insect Links, Photography Links, Science | Tagged entomology, Nature, physiology | 7 Comments

7 Responses

  1. on July 21, 2008 at 7:58 am Alehkhs

    Wow… this photo is astounding. The effect of the backlighting really adds an awe-inspiring effect to this ant.


  2. on July 21, 2008 at 10:24 am goodbear

    one of the most amazing shots i’ve seen!


  3. on July 21, 2008 at 3:52 pm Sifolinia

    Mmm. Much tastier than smaragdina – full of lemony-goodness!

    I ate one of these (longinoda) in the Gambia, with our Gambian guide looking on in disbelief. I’m sure he still tells the tale of the crazy white guy who came to eat the ants!

    Incredible shot BTW.


  4. on July 21, 2008 at 5:33 pm Aydin

    Nice shot. Backlighting is indeed very useful for revealing otherwise hidden details. Here is my picture of the lung of a snail, likewise revealed with backlighting.


  5. on July 22, 2008 at 7:52 pm Jim Lemire

    I agree – an excellent shot, Alex. Perfect use of backlighting.


  6. on July 23, 2008 at 3:47 pm JP

    That’s just beautiful.

    Curious… Do weaver ants have a thinner cuticle than other ants?


  7. on July 31, 2008 at 10:08 pm Marvin

    Amazing shot.



Comments are closed.


  • This blog is an archive; the Myrmecos blog has moved.

    Please update your bookmarks!
  • Alex’s Galleries

    alexanderwild.com

  • Recent Photos

    DarkQue bonito trabajo el de la Luna...iluminar vidas cuando andan a oscuras.Elephant HeadEastern Coyote, Southern OntarioWindowsジュエリーアイス
    More Photos
  • Biology Links

    • Tree of Life
    • Understanding Evolution
  • Blogroll

    • Ainsley Vs Livejournal
    • Ammonite
    • Anna’s Bee World
    • Archetype
    • Arthropoda blog
    • Backyard Arthropod Project
    • Beetles in the Bush
    • biodiversity in focus
    • Bug Dreams
    • Bug Eric
    • Bug Girl’s Blog
    • Burrard-Lucas Photoblog
    • Catalogue of Organisms
    • Creature Cast
    • Dan Heller
    • Debbie's Insect Blog
    • Dechronization
    • Drawing the MotMot
    • Entomoblog
    • Evolving Thoughts
    • Fall to Climb
    • Generant
    • Historias de Hormigas
    • Life on Six Legs
    • Macromite
    • microecos
    • mirmekolozi
    • myrmecoid
    • Myrmician
    • Natural Imagery
    • Nature in the Ozarks
    • NCSU Insect Blog
    • No Cropping Zone
    • omit needless words
    • Photo Synthesis
    • Princess Peppercloud
    • Science Blogs
    • Snail’s Tales
    • Stu Jenks
    • The Ant Hunter
    • The Ant Room
    • The Bug Whisperer
    • The Loom
    • This Week in Evolution
    • What's Bugging You?
    • Wild about Ants
    • Xenogere
  • Insect Links

    • Ant Farm Forum
    • Ant Insights
    • Antweb
    • Bug Squad
    • bugguide.net
    • Xerces Society
  • Photography Links

    • Canon Photography Forums
    • Digital Photography Review
    • DIY Photography
    • Igor Siwanowicz
    • Mark Plonsky
    • photo.net
    • Piotr Naskrecki
    • The Strobist
  • Popular Posts

    • What does it mean to be an eyeless ant?
    • Must we call them meat ants?
    • How to Identify Queen Ants
    • Things that look like ants but aren't (Part 2)
    • The Rogue Taxonomist
    • Photo Technique: Working With Ants
    • Speed bumps for our understanding of ant evolution
    • The trouble with phylogenetics
    • Friday Beetle Blogging: Dendroides Larva
    • How to Identify the Argentine Ant, Linepithema humile
  • Recent Posts

    • This blog has moved.
    • Friday Beetle Blogging: The Hollyhock Weevil
    • The Friday Beetle will be late…
    • Bed bugs reach an all-time high
    • Answer to the Monday Night Mystery
  • Recent Comments

    • Donald Byron Johnson on Reader question: who discovered the sex of ant workers?
    • Anonymous on Update on the Rogue Taxonomist
    • Ant on Arizona Daily Star covers “Planet of the Ants”
    • Ga. Girl on Beware the Cow-Killer
    • Anonymous on Beware the Cow-Killer
  • Categories

  • Archives

  • animation Ants aphids arachnids Argentina arizona army ants art Bees beetles behavior biodiversity biology Biology Links bugs Canon carabidae coleoptera copyright Darwin desert diptera E. O. Wilson ecology entomology Evolution fail fire ants Flies formicidae genetics google haiku Harpegnathos imaging Insect Links Insects invasive species lighting Linepithema macro macrophotography macro photography Martialis media miniscule muppets music myrmecology mystery natural history Nature new species odontomachus Parasites Paratrechina pests pheidole Photography Photography business photoshop phylogenetics phylogeny Pogonomyrmex politics predation Scarabaeidae Science SEM social insects spiders Taxonomy termites travel wasps
  • Nature Blog Network
    Add to Technorati Favorites

    Follow this blog

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Myrmecos Blog
    • Join 91 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Myrmecos Blog
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: