My First Springtail!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we interrupt our usual postings of jumping spiders for this special capture - my first springtail.

If you would like to find out more about springtail, check it out here on Wikipedia.

I've shot springtail before but only when they came into the frame when i was shooting something else, like when shooting an ant. :D

This one was 2mm long excluding the antennae. To be honest, I lost it when attempting the high mag shots. I had to zoom out to 1:1 again on my MP-E65 to re-position my lens and zoom in again slowly from there.





this is how it looked like at 1:1 :D. I wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't moving at that time. But it did settle down for me to shoot.


It's been IDed as Collembola: Paronellinae by Frans.

Watch a short clip from Life in the Undergrowth  DVD here.

All images were shot with a Canon 40D, Canon MPE65 1X-5X Macro Lens and Canon MT24EX Twin Flash.

Getting to know your macro subjects!

Macro is a bit like portraiture, except instead of working with a human models, you work with insects.

In portraiture, you want to get to know your models, help them relax, pose them and bring out the best in them. Same for insects. Okay, you can't really make insects pose if they don't want to, but knowing as much as you can about them help you in finding them, approaching them (without spooking them) and increasing one's appreciation for these amazing insects.

One way of getting to know your insect models is by watching this incredible DVD by BBC, narrated by the great Sir David Attenborough.

Life in the Undergrowth

This is just one of the clips i found on youtube. You can find a few more from the same "Life In The Undergrowth" DVD.


Of course, knowing them well is one thing. Putting them in good light is another thing altogether. Make sure you read up on:

1. Tips on shooting with natural light.
2. Tips on full flash macro photography
3. Flash exposure compensation (FEC) in macro
4. Macro Light diffusion (mainly for the MT24EX but can be adapted to suit the working distance of your lens)

Highly recommended:

Wonderful jumping spiders of Malaysia :)

Jumping spiders must the be cutest spiders of all. Period. :D

All taken with a Canon 40D, Canon MPE65 , Canon MT24EX Twin Flash.

A female Epeus sp? Guarding her precious eggs...awww....<3




The same loving mother with her lovely bunch of spiderlings <3333


Epeus sp. mom with spiderlings


Viciria sp. jumping spider life cycle: eggs to spiderlings. Complete series here.


A male Epeus sp.




Viciria sp. mommy with her spiderlings.


A female Viciria sp. with spider prey


Male Viciria sp.


A female Telamonia sp?


A male Telamonia sp.


Unidentified jumping spider.




Jumping spider with lynx spider prey




A jumping spider with molting trouble.


The same jumping spider with molting trouble


Jumping spider with tiger mosquito prey




Jumping spider with leafhopper nymph prey


Jumping spider with leafhopper nymph prey


A female Siler sp.?


A Hyllus sp. (?) with Pisaurid as prey




A different Hyllus sp.(?) with caterpillar prey


A cute Hyllus sp. jumping spider. Sabah, Borneo.


The same Hyllus sp. Big and cute with lovely marking on her abdomen.


Unidentified jumping spider. Selangor, Malaysia.




A male Viciria sp.


Portia sp.


Ant Mimic Jumping spider, Myrmarachne sp. Check out more amazing ant-mimic jumping spiders here.


A female, Thiana sp.


A male Thiana sp. jumping spider?










A male Bavia sp. ?


A female Bavia sp.?


Looks quite similar in shape to the previous one.


Jumping spider with hopper prey


No ID yet:


Yellow and translucent, probably similar to the previous one but recently molted?








Male and female jumping spiders.


A female Pystira sp.


A female Bathippus sp. Single 270EX for lighting. Find out more here.


A female Orsima ichneumon


A male Orsima ichneumon jumping spider


Male Viciria sp. jumping spider


Jumping spider with caterpillar prey


Jumping spider with caterpillar prey


A big female jumping spider with winged termite prey




Portrait of a Phaeacius sp. jumping spider


A well camouflaged Phaeacius sp. jumping spider on a tree trunk


Phaeacius sp. with prey


Jumping spider with prey


A cute female jumping spider. Unidentified. Selangor, Malaysia.




Jumping spider with roach prey


Jumping spider with nursery web spider prey


Yellow jumping spider


Jumping spider, Rhene sp. ?




Female Ligurra sp.?




Male Ligurra sp.?


Jumping spider with arms like Hercules, Harmochirus brachiatus.


Cute little jumping spider, no ID yet.


Lovely electric green on this one.




Myrmarachne elongata ant-mimic jumping spider, male. More amazing ant mimics here.


Male ant-mimic jumping spider, Myrmarachne sp.


Another male Myrmarachne sp. ant-mimic jumping spider


Male Myrmarachne plataleoides


Male Myrmarachne plataleoides


Female Myrmarachne plataleoides


A male Bathippus sp. jumping spider


Jumping spider with cricket prey, Sabah, Borneo.


Jumping spider with prey


A tiny jumping spider with winged ant prey




Tiny jumper with big prey


Tiny jumper with big prey


More jumping spiders here.

More spiders related posts:

1. Ant-mimic crab spider eating weaver ant
2. More ant-mimic spiders
3. Wonderful jumping spiders
4. Ant-mimic crab spider - mating!
5. Male red ant-mimic jumping spider
6. Tropical spiders
7. Jumping spider life cycle
8. Lichen huntsman life cycle

   
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.