You can think me sad all you want, but I really find invertebrates interesting (marine or terrestrial hehe)

So much so that I can tolerate the mind numbing work involved in processing all the pitfall traps that Im setting and collecting at Arne.

One of the things that keeps you (or at least me) going is that its like christmas when something interesting turns up in the pitfall traps. Im sure I saw a minotaur beetle in one of the traps I collected the other day. But anyway...Im taking photos as I process the traps, of anything that looks better than normal in terms of strangeness or coolness. Ill update this thread as and when I have more to share. The page Im putting them on is available here:http://www.yupyup.co.uk/photos/microscope/index.html

The pitfall traps were using are pretty much plastic cups half filled with a solution of Propylene glycol to reduce surface tension (interesting fact: Prop. Glycol is also a sexual lube among other things...). The traps are left out for 3 weeks and then collected and reset (replaced with fresh ones). The old trap fluid+contents are sieved and washed before going through using a microscope and picking out and recording all fauna. The data on invertebrate assemblages at different sites around Arne can be used to determine the "health" of the habitats (different groups/species indicate different factors going on). The work is part of an RSPB project on the impact of Sika Deer grazing on the heathland.

Were getting loads of ticks and mites. In one trap, over a 3 week period, a total of 94 ticks fell into a small plastic cup :| This was a particularly evil looking one. Despite the abundance of ticks, I have yet to be ticked whilst out there, despite the fact Im going through dense vegetation!


Cool looking spiders...




Ok, technically not microscope stuff, but it was too big. We get a lot of different and cool looking metallic carabid beetles turning up. So much so Im about to start to breed some funky looking tropical beetles at home.


Small beetle...


(true) Bugs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. This one was a bit difficult due to contrast and its a crap picture, but its Elytra or wings were really funky looking. I dont think there was any membrane there, just the hard venation going on:


A fairly common bug with cool patterning:


Getting a few caterpillas too. This is some kind of bagworm I think, making a camoflaged tube:


And this is another one I pulled out of its "home" - funky patterning, none of us have seen that colouration on the harder parts:

19:38 June 5th - Our outpost has discovered a new breed of caterpillar.

19:40 June 5th - A series of alarms have gone of at the outpost - No response from our team.

20:00 June 5th - OH GOD, JESUS, CHRIST NO!! NO!!! *KSSSSSSSSUURRCH*

^ lol

cool pics

Quote from: M3ta7h3ad19:38 June 5th - Our outpost has discovered a new breed of caterpillar.

19:40 June 5th - A series of alarms have gone of at the outpost - No response from our team.

20:00 June 5th - OH GOD, JESUS, CHRIST NO!! NO!!! *KSSSSSSSSUURRCH*

 

zpyder - I have to say I absolutely love the shot of the beetle (the one below the trantula-like spider).  I would have submitted this one in the macro section.   -)

Female sand lizard (I think(uber rare in the UK)) Was totally cool with me being really close to take this photo on my phone!

And yeah, I was "At work" today so it counts. I was out at Arne from 8:30AM to 6PM trudging around surveying the vegetation and counting deer crap.

False scorpions *shudders*


more funkeh beetles:


And a better pic of the uber bug:


These were taken on my phone, seems having a smaller lens is better even if its not as good a quality...

Quote from: zpyderFalse scorpions *shudders*
(Image removed from quote.)

Nuke it from orbit..

can I post some things I see at work ?

its a dead cow lying in a carpark

 You can see me while I work.

http://www.plus.net/webcams/

Quote from: knightycan I post some things I see at work ?

One knighty had earlier...

Quote from: soopahfly  You can see me while I work.

http://www.plus.net/webcams/

I say we arrange to have you dance in front of one of the cameras for a few seconds at an arranged time!

Not much interesting this time even though I got through sh*tloads of samples yesterday

Bug:


Another bug, albeit smaller and in technicolour:


Weevil/beetle


Still using my phone camera as, though the images are grainier, overall the smaller lens I think takes a better/easier picture.

is that last one hairy, or is that just the colouring of it ?

I think its hairy. Makes me think of a beetle wearing a pullover knitted using some wool with metallic bits in ><