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JOHN HALLMÉN

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STAG BEETLE

Lucanus cervus


SCIOMYZID WITH HOST

Tetanocera cf. robusta and Succinea putris


ERISTALINUS SEPULCHRALIS




PUSS MOTH CATERPILLAR


CERURA VINULA PUSS MOTH CATERPILLAR

70mm 

This puss moth caterpillar was climbing up one of the countless shrub like
balsam poplars girding the beach in Byrum, Öland.

I shot this with the DIY macro-fisheye rig based on a CCTV lens relayed through
a reversed Canon 24/2.8 STM (described earlier).


CADDISFLY LARVA (STUDIO)

Trichoptera 30mm
 

Studio image of a nest building caddisfly larva. 

This is one of the pioneer species in a pond I've been engaged in building in
the nature reserve right next to where I live.
Stacked from 119 exposures in Zerene Stacker (dead, prepared specimen).

Sony NEX-7, Canon MP-E65, two Jansjö LED-lamps


PROSENA


 

Prosena siberita, Tachinidae

Size: 8 mm

Parasitic fly perched on Laserpitium latifolium.

This species has such an elegant proboscis ("tongue")! If you're familiar with
stinging flies like the tse-tse fly you might suspect P. siberita of having
similarly annoying habits. However, this species is a perfectly harmless nectar
feeder! Of course, if you're a beetle larva you might disagree since these flies
parasitize the larvae of scarab beetles!

Stacked from 35 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65


JUVENILE RAFT SPIDER


DOLOMEDES FIMBRIATUS

8 mm

Early morning stack of this brightly colored raft spider juvenile. The sun was
coming up behind the subject and the backlighting brought out the colors. It
kept moving slightly so it took many failed attempts until I got a useable
sequence.

Stacked from 59 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Sigma 180/3.5, Kenko PRO300 2X converter


SNIPE FLY


RHAGIO TRINGARIUS ♂ (ID-CRED: M. PERSSON)

14 mm

Stacked from 54 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D + Canon MP-E65


PUSS MOTH CATERPILLAR

Cerura vinula
Size: 75 mm

I'm always so happy to find these charming caterpillars! Their fake eye spots
gets me every time even though I'm well aware of the deception. 

I used my DIY macro fisheye setup here and the front element is just a
centimeter or so from the subject. So it's not surprising that the caterpillar
is showing off it's typical threat display.

Canon 760D + CCTV-lens relayed through a reversed Canon 24/2.8 STM. Diffused
flash (Canon 270EX).


DEWY FOOTMAN

Eilema sp., Lithosiini
18-20 mm

I would have ignored this drab little moth unless I really liked how the morning
sun lit up the grass spike it was perched on. For me, it serves as a reminder
that every now and then, the least striking of subjects can be worth some
attention.

I was amused to learn the English common name for this group of moths.
Apparently it refers to the the muted clothing of "footmen" – a term that has
been applied to household servants, infantry soldiers etcetera. Even if the
reference is a bit dated, it seems apt and somewhat humorous which makes it easy
to remember!

Stacked from 56 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65


DINNER HAS LANDED...

...or "Game Over", depending on which one you identify with.

Xysticus bifasciatus with Dasypoda hirtipes 
(spider-ID cred: T. Holmgren)

A female crab spider with its dinner: a mining bee!

This was shot with the experimental super wide angle setup I mentioned in a
previous post. I'll elaborate on this gear in a future article! 

Single mixed light exposure (natural light + diffused flash)

Canon 760D + DIY wide angle contraption + Canon 270EX. EXIF-data does not tell
the full story.


EMERALD DAMSELFLY

Lestes sponsa
35 mm

This is one of the most common damselfly species in the late summer on my
favorite location. 

The warm yellow tones suggests that this may be a female but apparently
coloration is not a reliable way to sex this species – you need to look at the
tip of the abdomen to be sure. Thanks Stephen for pointing this out!  

Stacked from 18 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D + Canon MP-E65


ODD LITTLE WEEVIL

Tapeinotus sellatus
4 mm

This little weevil have the habit of making this peculiar pose when it feels
threatened. Let me assure you – this is really effective camouflage! Unless I
happened to be looking specifically for small weevils I definitely wouldn't have
spotted this one. 

In fact – I almost didn't anyway despite looking straight at it from a short
distance. I was convinced it was just some small piece of plant debris that had
stuck to that leaf.  The way it folds its legs up underneath the body
successfully conceals its shadow  while at the same time it erasing the contour.
The awkwardly raised snout only adds to the debris-illusion.

Handheld stack made from 10 exposures, lit by diffused flash and assembled in
Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65, Canon 270EX + DIY beautydish diffuser.


TOAD PORTRAIT

Bufo bufo, Common Toad
Size: ~ 80 mm

I love toads. They always seem so laid-back and content. This specimen made a
habit of hopping up the stairs of our porch every night, to feed on moths
attracted by the light.

This is a single shot made with my experimental DIY macro-fisheye rig that I've
elaborated on in a recent post.

Canon 760D, cctv-lens, reversed Canon 24/2.8 STM, Canon 270EX + diffuser.


COMMON WASP ♂

♂ Vespula vulgaris
15 mm

The long antennae means that you don't need to worry about getting stung! Only
male wasps have these long antennae and since stingers are "modified"
ovipositors they are absent in males. 

This one was found as it was waking up on flowering field garlic Allium
oleraceum an early morning in August.

Stacked from 36 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65 @ 0.8s, f/6.3, ISO200


MAYFLY ♂

Ephemeroptera, working on a more precise ID
8 mm

What may look like a pink helmet are actually specialized eyes, only present in
male mayflies. Citing wikipedia these upward facing "turban eyes" are sensitive
to UV-light and thought to help males detect females flying above them during
courtship. This species lacks the long elegant tail whiskers found in most
mayfly species, but I still find it to be a beautiful animal. I'm always at a
loss when it comes to narrowing down the ID with these – suggestions are most
welcome!

Stacked from 12 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker. 

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65


STUDIO STACK: NOCTURNAL PREDATOR

Carabus violaceus
Size: 25 mm

Studio portrait of this relatively large and abundant species. Found this
specimen dead but well preserved underneath the bark of a large tree stump. 

Stacked from 176 exposures in Zerene Stacker. 

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65, diffused LED-spotlight, Cognisys Stackshot


GYMNOSOMA

Gymnosoma sp. Tachinidae
Size: 6 mm

I'm always happy to find these compact colorful parasitic flies. There are a few
very similar species and I have to check with the experts if it's possible to
tell which one this is from the images.

Stacked from 56 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65 @ 1/4s, f/5.6, ISO100


PINE BEAUTY

Panolis flammea
Size: 18 mm
A beautiful moth that lives on pine.  Common name: pine beauty! Sometimes even
non-scientific names make sense :)

Stacked from 31 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Minolta Bellows, Summar 12cm f/4.5.


♂ RED-THIGHED EPEOLUS

♂ Epeolus cruciger (ID-cred: K. Larsson)
6.5 mm

These tiny but beautiful bees are cleptoparasites that utilize plasterer bees
(Colletes) as hosts. Please see comment section for some additional photos of
this bee and its host.

Stacked from 6 handheld exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65, Canon 270EX + DIY-diffuser.


RHINO-BEETLE

Oryctes nasicornis, European rhinoceros beetle, 32 mm

Article describing the experimental wide-angle setup used for this: 

http://makrofokus.se/blogg/2016/9/22/diy-makro-fisheye.html


CUDDLY CUCKOO WASPS

Holopyga generosa
Size: 7 mm

It's raining today so I'm finally breaking my long summer hiatus!

Sleeping cuckoo wasps are always a pleasure to find during early morning
sessions. I think of these as loners as you typically just encounter solitary
specimens but apparently there are exceptions!

Stacked from 19 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon MP-E65 @ 0.3s, f/5.6, ISO100


CAMOUFLAGE!

Aegomorphus clavipes
15 mm

Early morning stack of this well camouflaged long horn beetle on a birch.

Stacked from 55 natural light exposures in Zerene stacker.

Canon 760D, Canon 100mm f/2.8 @ 0.4s, f/7.1 , ISO200


8-SPOTTED JEWEL II

Buprestis octoguttata Eight spotted jewel beetle
11 mm

A dorsal view of this elegant jewel beetle perched on a pine twig. It's the same
specimen I posted a lateral portrait of a few weeks ago.

43 natural light exposures stacked in Zerene Stacker. 

Canon 5DmkII, Sigma 180/3.5 + Kenko 2X PRO300 converter.


8-SPOTTED JEWEL

Buprestis octoguttata Eight spotted jewel beetle
11 mm 

Early morning stack of this metallic jewel beetle. Shot an early morning in
August 2015.

Stacked from 26+1 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker. 

Canon 5DmkII, Canon MP-E65 @ 3.9X, f/5.6, 1.6s, ISO200 + one (last) exposure at
f/11, 6s.


STUDIO STACK: PHORETIC MITE

Uropoda cf. orbicularis (Uropodidae) on Aphodius prodromus
Size≈ 0.7 mm

Like I mentioned in my previous post the little dung beetle came with an
interesting bonus species. The round reddish formation is the second larval
stage of a Uropoda mite. These deutonymphs attach themselves to insects such as
this dung beetle via a stalk like structure called a pedicel.

Here you can see the ventral side of the mite larva. Though it's very
"streamlined" in this stage, it's possible to make out legs and palps if you
look closely.

This is not a parasitic relationship, but strictly phoretic. In other words, the
mites does not feed on the insects they attach themselves to, but only use them
for dispersal/transportation.

This was shot in the studio and stacked from 89 exposures of a dead and cleaned
subject.

Sony NEX-7, Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 10X 0.28, morfanon tube lens, Nikon PB-6
bellows, Cognisys Stackshot.


LESSER GLOW WORM (LARVA)

Phosphaenus hemipterus
10 mm

This is the larva of the lesser glow worm. My first encounter with this
species! 

In spite of its name, it's a beetle. In contrary to its larger relative the
"Common glow worm" (Lampyris noctiluca) this, slightly smaller species does not
produce a bioluminescent glow in order to attract a mate but only if it feels
threatened.

This is two handheld exposures manually pieced together in Photoshop for a
slight increase in depth of field.

Canon 5DmkII, Canon MP-E65 (@ 3.3X), Canon 270 EX + DIY beautydish diffuser.


LONG HOVER ♂

Sphaerophoria scripta, long hoverfly
7 mm

This time of year this is one of the most common insects at my favorite
location. As such, they are easily overlooked but they make nice subjects.

Stacked from 37 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Canon MP-E65 @ 2.2X, f/7.1, 1/8s, ISO200


CURCULIO

Curculio cf. venosus
Size: 7-8 mm

Early morning stack of this long snouted weevil on a tiny acorn. I'm not 100%
 it's C. venosus – partly because this specimen seems to have been through some
rough times with lots of its dorsal hairs appear to have been rubbed off and
some kind of mud has adhered to its elytra and legs.

Shot in mid July 2015 and stacked from 28 natural light exposures in Zerene
Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Canon MP-E65 @ 1/4s, f/7.1, ISO100


FEMALE MACROPIS

Macropis europaea
9 mm

Early morning stack of this female Macropis bee. 

Stacked from 27 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7 + Canon MP-E65 @ f/6.3, 1/8s, ISO100


STUDIO STACK: ANOTHER TEMNOSTOMA

Temnostoma bombylans ♀
14 mm

In my previous post I showed a Temnostoma vespiforme that had hatched from a
piece of birch wood I had brought into my terrarium a few weeks ago. I later
found another, smaller Temnostoma species dead in my terrarium. It turned out to
be T. bombylans and this is a studio portrait of a female specimen. In many
cases a portrait like this is enough to be able to determine the sex of a
hoverfly – females generally have a  wider separation between the eyes whereas
in males the eyes tend to connect above the antennae.

Shot in the studio and stacked from 107 exposures of a dead/prepared specimen in
Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Nikon PB-6 bellows, Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X, morfanon tube lens.


STUDIO STACK: TEMNOSTOMA

Temnostoma vespiforme, Syrphidae
Size: 17 mm

This relatively large wasp-like hoverfly hatched in my terrarium a few weeks
ago. A month earlier I had brought in a nice piece of moss covered birch wood
from the woods and apparently it contained a couple of Syrphid pupae.

I considered releasing it outside after shooting a few handheld flash shots of
it, but it's been unseasonably cold and it wouldn't have lasted long so I
figured I could just as well keep it and make this studio portrait of it once it
expired.

This is a dead and prepared specimen stacked from 183 exposures in Zerene
Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X/0.14, morfanon tube lens, Nikon PB-6
bellows.


METELLINA ♂

Metellina segmentata ♂
Size: 5 mm (body)

A fully grown male specimen of this species which I assume to be M. mengei due
to the fact that it was found in September 2015. 

Stacked from 20 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Sigma 180/3.5 + Kenko PRO 300 2X teleconverter.


HIPPODAMIA SEPTEMMACULATA

Hippodamia septemmaculata
5 mm

Rummaging through my archives I stumbled upon this ladybird that I didn't quite
recognize. When I shot it I assumed it was a variant of H.
tredecimpunctata (which I've seen several times on this location) but I'm glad I
had a second look.

Stacked from 44 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Canon MP-E65 @ 3.7X, f/4.5 (+ a few @f/7.1), 0.6s


GRUMPY?

Tipulidae, larva
24 mm

This image shows the peculiar rear end of a crane fly larva. So what may appear
like a face is in fact... well, the opposite, or the "spiracular area" to be
precise. Crane fly larvae breathe through the posterior spiracles and most
species have various protrusions ("lobes") surrounding the spiracular area.

Single shot @ 5X made with Sony NEX-7 and Zeiss Luminar 25mm f/3.5 + diffused
flash (Meike MK-300).


STUDIO STACK: DANCING FLEAS?

Bird fleas, Ceratophyllus gallinae
Size: 2 mm

This is a studio stack of two (dead) bird fleas placed on a microscope slide. I
didn't actually position them like this. I placed them on the slide encapsulated
in drops of alcohol. However the drops got stuck together and as the alcohol
evaporated the fleas  were drawn closer to each other and eventually ended up in
this configuration. I liked the symmetry so I decided to shoot them as they were
:)

I collected these fleas while helping a friend emptying the bird houses at a
local golf course (a procedure repeated each year in March). Please see the
comment section for more images and info!

Stacked from 21 exposures in Zerene Stacker (lit with two LED-lights).

Sony NEX-7, Nikon PB-6 bellows, Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X/0.14 + Apo-Gerogon 210/9.


TANBARK BORER ON OAK

Phymatodes testaceus, longhorn beetle (Cerambycidae)
Size: 16 mm

Stacked from 35 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Sigma 180/3.5 @ 1/4s, f/8, ISO100


MORNING STRETCH II

Machimus atricapillus ♀, Asilidae  
15 mm

The previous post featured a slender robberfly in its typical stretched out
pose. And here is another species displaying one of its most characteristic
morning pose! For some reason Machimus-species seem to prefer this
head-down-abdomen-up sleeping position.

The fly remained very still and gave me the ability of  trying out several
different angles rendering various backgrounds and lightings. 

This was stacked from 23 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker. 

Sony NEX-7, Sigma 180/3.5 + Kenko PRO300 2X converter. 
According to the exif, the aperture was f/13 but this is slightly misleading –
the nominal aperture is f/6.3. The reason for this discrepancy is the
teleconverter which prompts the camera to report some kind of effective aperture
(but it's not even that, since magnification is not considered, so I consider it
to be a pseudo-effective-aperture-value)


MORNING STRETCH

Leptogaster cylindrica ♂, Asilidae, Slender robberfly
14 mm

This slender robberfly displays the characteristic resting pose of this species.
Robberflies are typically very robust but this genus (Leptogaster) has this
delicate appearence. Slender robberflies seem perfectly adapted to vertical
perches such as grass and I don't recall ever seeing one on a horizontal
surface.

Shot in July 2015 and stacked from 13 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Sigma 180/3.5 @ 1/4s, f/7.1, ISO100


ON A BURNT PINE TRUNK

Choerades gilvus
Size: 17 mm

This robberfly was found on the bark of a large burnt pine tree an early morning
in October 2015. It's from one of my visits to a huge forest fire area in
central Sweden (I've mentioned it before in my stream).

I'm fascinated by the metallic flake shimmer of the burnt bark.

Stacked from 27 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Sigma 180/3.5.


FEMALE FALLBEETLE ON THRIFT

Cryptocephalus sericeus
7 mm

Thrift flowers (Armeria maritima) definitely seem to be a favorite among this
species.

Early morning stack from 38 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Canon MP-E65 @ 0.6s, f/5.6, ISO100


STAG BEETLE ON ICE

Lucanus cervus , Lucanidae, Stag beetle
Size: 42 mm

Ok, here's the story of how Swedish roadkill became a 4 ton ice sculpture in
Canada: Last summer I was contacted by a PR-agency working to promote an exhibit
at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. They were specifically  looking for
an up close portrait of a stag beetle since these would be featured in the
exhibition. I was on vacation and didn't have access to my library so I wasn't
sure I would be able to provide them with it. This was in August which means
stag beetles, while relatively common at the location, were well past their peak
(early-mid July) so I had little hope of actually finding one. Coincidentally I
stumbled across a squashed specimen on a road just hours later. It looked pretty
bad from above but the underside of the front portion was intact, so I cobbled
together a simple studio setup on the porch, got to work and sent over the image
you see here. They decided to go ahead with it and we made a licensing
agreement. 

It all went along quickly and smoothly and I must confess I'd forgotten about it
when, yesterday, I got an email from the agency who just wanted to let me know
that the stag beetle had been turned into a 9000 lbs ice sculpture! I think the
sculpture is way cooler than the image (pun or not). See comment section on
flickr for images! I want to give kudos to clients who're able to take full
advantage of the "unlimited use" clause!

Stacked from 35 images in Zerene Stacker.

Canon 5DmkII, Sigma 180/3.5, Kenko PRO300 2X.


LEAF-CUTTER BEE

♂ Megachile willughbiella
Size: 8-9 mm

Early morning portrait of a dew covered leaf-cutter bee resting on a grass
spike.

Stacked from 47 natural light exposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Canon MP-E65 @ 0.4s, f/6.3, ISO100


GAUROTES ON CHAMOMILE

Gaurotes virginea
10 mm

Early morning stack of this relatively small longhorn beetle on a closed
chamomile (Matricaria recutita) flower.

Stacked from 66 natural light eexposures in Zerene Stacker.

Sony NEX-7, Canon MP-E65 @ 0.4s, f/6.3, ISO100



 * recent
 * tripod
 * handheld
 * studio


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