What was that odd squishy-hairy thing in yesterday's SEM?
It's the tip of the foot of a muscid fly, showing the adhesive pads (called pulvilli) that allow the fly to cling to surfaces. Here's a slightly less magnified view:
Points are awarded as follows:
-Two for JasonC., for being the first to pick that it was a foot of some sort.
-Five for Jim Harrison, who bagged the organism.
-Two to Gunnar for guessing the empodium, which is one of the structures visible in the image.
-Two to Roberto Keller, for providing more precise technical detail than that given preceding guesses.
update Boy, am I ever a jerk. Adrian gets 4 points, which I tallied and then neglected to copy onto the list. Must be because I'm primitive.
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Booo, I was way off taxon-wise. Shame on me. But I gladly accept the consolation points.
I think Adrian would be justified in asking for a recount.
Crud. You're right. Adrian was to be awarded 4 points, and I entirely left him off the list.