A Horseflies tongue.
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A Horseflies tongue.
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.
It's no wonder it hurts when these guys bite you!
Jody Melanson, Capturer of God's Creations.
Oh Yuck! I'm glad my tounge doesn't look like that. A very enlightening shot there Jody. 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.
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Kenneth Ramos
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Kens Microscopy
Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.
Kenneth Ramos
Rutherfordton, North Carolina
Kens Microscopy
Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.
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Ken, I think Jody's got it right -- horseflies and deerflies (Diptera:Tabanidae) actually do bite.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.
From the abstract of an article in Nature,
Other references agree, for exampleIn 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.
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.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.
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?
--Rik
Reworks and reposts of my images in this forum are always welcome, as are constructive critiques.
- MikeBinOKlahoma
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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
(reposts on this site of my images for critique or instruction are welcome)
_____________________________________________________________
"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul.....My mandate includes weird bugs."--Calvin
(reposts on this site of my images for critique or instruction are welcome)