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A Rarely-Seen Myriapod: A Symphylan
e6filmuser
Registered Users Posts: 3,378 Major grins
Essentially, these are like short, stumpy, white centipedes but with two conical appendages at the tail end. I used to have to identify dead ones from soil samples on limestone soil. I had to look for presence or absence of sculpturing on the cerci but can't remember more.
These live in the interstices in soil but can sometimes be seen on the surface in dark places, such as under logs on the ground. I knew that they were to be found, if very rarely, under a flat disc (typically used for paving across lawns) of concrete-like stone. I also knew that, a little more frequently, Diplura, tiny white, wingless insects, with six legs and long, "beaded" antennae (like on the dipluran) and cerci, also lived under this slab.
I approached the slab, with lens on extension to give the FOV required and flash charged. On lifting it, I saw two diplurans moving around rapidly close to me an a larger, white, static myriapod a bit further away. After an unsuccessful attempt to frame and focus on the former, I went for the latter. To my surprise, it remained static, apart from moving its head and antennae around. So I got a good series of images. This individual was ca 7mm long, including antennae. The diplurans were then long gone, down crevices in the soil.
http://soilbugs.massey.ac.nz/symphyla.php
EM-1, helicoid M42 tube extended to 90mm, Leitz Photoar 50mm, 1/250 f11 ISO 400, TTL flash, hand-held.
Harold
These live in the interstices in soil but can sometimes be seen on the surface in dark places, such as under logs on the ground. I knew that they were to be found, if very rarely, under a flat disc (typically used for paving across lawns) of concrete-like stone. I also knew that, a little more frequently, Diplura, tiny white, wingless insects, with six legs and long, "beaded" antennae (like on the dipluran) and cerci, also lived under this slab.
I approached the slab, with lens on extension to give the FOV required and flash charged. On lifting it, I saw two diplurans moving around rapidly close to me an a larger, white, static myriapod a bit further away. After an unsuccessful attempt to frame and focus on the former, I went for the latter. To my surprise, it remained static, apart from moving its head and antennae around. So I got a good series of images. This individual was ca 7mm long, including antennae. The diplurans were then long gone, down crevices in the soil.
http://soilbugs.massey.ac.nz/symphyla.php
EM-1, helicoid M42 tube extended to 90mm, Leitz Photoar 50mm, 1/250 f11 ISO 400, TTL flash, hand-held.
Harold
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Comments
#3 is nice because it appears it is trying to crawl out of my monitor!
Thanks.
Would you believe it? I was grubbing around the garden today, lifting bits or bark, etc, hoping to find subjects. The last place I looked was under a hand-span-sized rough piece of concrete on a small area of rockery. In a hollow underneath, as I turned it over in my hand, was a symphylan, this time very active. I put it back.
Harold
Hard work paid off!
Paul.
Link to my personal website: http://www.pauliddon.co.uk
Brian v.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/
http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/
Thanks, Brian
Try looking under stones and suchlike.
Harold