The close-up is the small section just to the top left of the left antenna (where it attaches to the head). It is some kind of sensory organ I assume? They seem to have no eyes and spend most of their time in darkness deep in the soil.
I had to struggle to even get these sink into the glutaraldehyde and ethanol for SEM sample preparation. Eventually I put them in a small centrifuge tube filled to the top and closed the lid to force them under the surface.
Last image is a close-up of a hair (bristle) follicle. Its design is almost like an artistic brick-work with a ring of bricks around the bristle. Magnification of the last image is X16000 (printed on a 20 cm paper)
I think the genus is Protaphorura sp. but I am not sure.
I would appreciate any input on the role of the two sensory organs that you can see in the second close-up.


