1. myrmecos
  2. A textbook image: ant castes

A textbook image: ant castes

By awild on January 19, 2009.
Camponotus discolor male, queen, and worker

Camponotus discolor male, queen, and worker

Here's an image I should have taken years ago.  It's a stylized shot of the different castes in an ant colony, perfect for a textbook illustration of the morphological distinctions among males, gynes, and workers.  Better late than never, I suppose.

photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D

ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, flash diffused through tracing paper

Tags
ants
Science
insects
social insects

More like this

Getting ahead in the colony
Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) worker and queen Córdoba, Argentina photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 100, f/13, 1/250 sec, twin flash diffused through tracing paper
Argentine Ants, Queen and Worker
A queen and worker Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, pose for a photograph near Córdoba, Argentina. photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f13, flash diffused through tracing paper
Pheidole Friday: P. rosae
Pheidole rosae, major worker, Entre Rios, Argentina At the nest entrance photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, flash diffused through tracing paper
Procryptocerus mayri
Procryptocerus mayri, Venezuela. photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, flash diffused through tracing paper

Alex,

Lovely shot.

Challenge - build up library of these for many species!?!?!

It is a text book photo, and so we must use it. :)

Kirsti

Great photo.

Do you have some photo with your instalation of the tracing paper ?

I'm really impressed by the quality you obtain whith f/13 !

Sorry for my english... so french...

Kirsti-

All I need are more full colonies of hibernating ants. These ones were docile and cooperative. I can't imagine trying this on a bunch of Iridomyrmex...

Olivier-

Wow. I just visited your site. You have some really amazing photos. Wow.

Thanks !

I would like to have more time for macros, I will buy some tracing paper for next photos with the mpe ;-)

Ahhhh, this lens !

Hmmm, nothing a bit of CO2 won't fix, no?