A Horseflies tongue.

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Jody Melanson
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A Horseflies tongue.

Post by Jody Melanson »

Image

Canon EOS 1D Mark II N + Extension Tubes + Sigma 150 + 50/1.8 Reversed
1/250s f/20.0 at 150.0mm iso100 with Flash
Handheld.

I used all three extension tubes + my Sigma 150 + my 50/1.8 reversed to get some wicked magnification. My DOF is about 2mm at F20. :D

It's no wonder it hurts when these guys bite you!
Jody Melanson, Capturer of God's Creations.

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Beetleman
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Post by Beetleman »

Yep, that looks like the hurtin end of business. Very cool shot Jody. Those barbs look nasty. :shock: One question..."How did you get him to stick his tongue out" :lol:
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
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Canon PowerShot S1 IS with Canon 250D closeup lens

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MacroLuv
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Post by MacroLuv »

Wow! This is kind a perv magnification. :shock: Are you sure it isn't some cactus species? :lol:

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

Oh Yuck! I'm glad my tounge doesn't look like that. :lol: A very enlightening shot there Jody. :D However I don't think flies actually bite you, they in a way throw up on you producing enzymes that dissolve the skin or flesh so they can suck or lap it up with their tounge. Somewhat like assassin bugs which inject a toxic liquid to break down tissues so they can suck them up through their rostrum. So I believe that is what makes it so painful and seems to be more like a bite. :D
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Wim van Egmond
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Post by Wim van Egmond »

Very spectacular!

Wim

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Ken Ramos wrote:However I don't think flies actually bite you, they in a way throw up on you producing enzymes that dissolve the skin or flesh so they can suck or lap it up with their tounge.
Ken, I think Jody's got it right -- horseflies and deerflies (Diptera:Tabanidae) actually do bite.

From the abstract of an article in Nature,
In the Diptera fully mandibulate mouthparts adapted to penetrate the skin and ingest the body fluids of the host have been recognized in only seven families, the Culicidae (mosquitoes), Simuliidae (black flies), Ceratopogonidae (biting midges), Psychodidae (sandflies), Blepharoceridae, Tabanidae (including horseflies) and Rhagionidae.
Other references agree, for example
http://www.cbwinfo.com/Biological/Vectors/Tabanidae.html wrote:The females feed in bright sunlight using dark moving objects as their targets. They are exophilic and exotrophic, preferring to feed and live away from buildings. They have large mouthparts that can bite through dark clothing and the bite is immediately painful meaning that they will be chased away by a number of victims before they can complete a blood meal. This makes them effective mechanical vectors for disease. They can carry a disease from one animal to another without the pathogen needing to be adapted to the host biology.
In Jody's picture, I'd wager that the two light brown structures are specialized for piercing skin, while the spiny tongue is used to suck up the blood that runs out of the wound. The spines (bristles?) could serve a mechanical function such as anchoring, but I'd guess equally likely they're part of a sensor system, perhaps giving the fly really good feedback about whether the tongue is properly positioned in the wound. I can't find any references that specifically address this -- it's just an extrapolation from what I've been told about other insect sensors associated with long skinny structures.

Jody, I'm really curious about whether you're serious about "handheld", and if so, why you chose to do it that way instead of using one of your macro holding jigs. Can you explain?

Also, I was thinking about the background in this shot. It's very pretty, but also sort of abstract. Any idea what it would look like using, say, some nice hairy skin? :?: 8)

--Rik
Reworks and reposts of my images in this forum are always welcome, as are constructive critiques.

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

This is a VERY impressive shot! Who needs an MP-E-65? :-)
Mike Broderick
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"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul.....My mandate includes weird bugs."--Calvin

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