This subject is Cryptorhynchus lapathi, variously known as the "Poplar-and-Willow Borer" or just "willow weevil".
The beast has some economic importance, so it is described in detail in numerous places. See for example https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/PLANTS ... borer.html .
Here, I am interested just in a couple of anatomical details. All stereo pairs are crossed-eye.
First, some of its more spectacular scales. The dark areas in these clusters are basically black holes -- the camera saw no discernable light even with enough over-exposure to blow out the rest of the beast.
Now, backing out to show almost the whole beetle. The scales shown above are near the middle of its back, on the segment behind the head.
Closer again, showing scales on the elytra, just left of image center in the wider view. I was surprised to see the deep pits, each with a single large scale sitting flat in the bottom of the pit.
This beast does a great job of protecting its snout when threatened, by tucking it into a ventral groove on the thorax that is so deep it can contain essentially the whole snout. I do not know how the antennae are held by a defensive live beetle. I suspect they would be tucked alongside the snout.
In life, the snout has its typical appearance:
All images except the last were shot with Canon R7 camera using electronic shutter and one or two Jansjö LED lamps shining through a hemispherical diffuser, ISO 100, typically 0.4 second exposure time.
The first image used Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 20X NA 0.42 at 12.75X (nominal 12.5X), using Raynox DCR-250 tube lens front-forward. 302 frames at 0.0025 mm focus step. It is a crop, field width about 0.56 mm.
All other studio images were shot with Mitutoyo M Plan Apo 5X NA 0.14 at 3.17X (nominal 3.125X), using Raynox DCR-250 tube lens front-forward, around 150 frames at 0.025 mm focus step. Widest view is essentially the whole frame, the others are crops.
The live image is, um, I really don't know. I shot it back in 2014, sent it to a beetle expert at Oregon State University for ID, and in the intervening 8 years managed to lose the original JPEG. All that I had left was the email, which contained a cropped version that was only 893 pixels wide. For amusement, I tried upsizing it by 2X using Topaz Gigapixel IA. I liked the result a lot better the the email version, so that's what you're seeing here, downsized again to 1024 pixels for forum display.
--Rik
Details of Cryptorhynchus lapathi, a willow weevil
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Re: Details of Cryptorhynchus lapathi, a willow weevil
Very cool! Intriguing about the scales in the pits. I have no idea what that is about.
Mark Sturtevant
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Re: Details of Cryptorhynchus lapathi, a willow weevil
Rik
Those are incredible images. The 3D stuff is incredible. I will have to do more of that. I will try to do it on the spider pedipalps we talked about. Next I may try a little video...
Those are incredible images. The 3D stuff is incredible. I will have to do more of that. I will try to do it on the spider pedipalps we talked about. Next I may try a little video...
Re: Details of Cryptorhynchus lapathi, a willow weevil
Wonderful set. Lots of context and even more lovely zooming in for detail. Just how I like it! Ta.
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Re: Details of Cryptorhynchus lapathi, a willow weevil
Nice images and interesting story. The presentation is very neatly done. How do you put spaces between images and text?