Saturday, June 16, 2012

June "Bug" Larvae Demo Insect Breathing Spiracles

 I'm finding many June "Bug" (beetle) larvae in my wood chips. To the eye they look like normal white grubs with orange heads and legs.  But the camera flash makes their skin transparent, and the design of their breathing holes, or spiracles, is revealed.

Look at the incredible network of tubes that take the air in and exhale carbon dioxide.  Probably not a major contributor to global warming, but fascinating to see up close.

4 comments:

  1. I love this! I may contact you to see if I can use it in our textbook.
    Teresa Audesirk

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    Replies
    1. Hi Teresa, Sorry I have not looked at comments for a while so just saw yours. Pictures can be used. Credit would be appreciated. If you need higher resolution pictures I can send originals.

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  2. Hi Treeclimber,

    I'm the photo researcher working on Teresa Audesirk's biology textbook. She asked me to pursue this and we would need larger resolution photos, if possible and also the credit you would like to use. Could you please contact me at info@wanderlustphotos.com so we can arrange specifics?

    Thanks!

    Kristin

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  3. Dear TreeClimber -
    Please respond to Kristin' s request for a hi-res photo your June bug larva for use in Biology: Life on Earth. I'd life to send you a copy of the upcoming 11th edition in return. But we'll have to use an inferior photo if we don't get yours really soon.

    ReplyDelete